An archaic or variant spelling of 'gargoyle'; a grotesque carved figure, typically on buildings, often serving as a waterspout.
From Old French 'gargouille' (throat), describing the creature's gaping mouth. 'Gurgoyl' represents an older spelling variant before 'gargoyle' became standardized.
The variant 'gurgoyl' reminds us that spelling standardization is relatively recent—medieval and Renaissance texts used multiple spellings for the same word, and standardization came with printing and dictionaries.
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