griffin

noun grif·fin \ˈgri-fən\

in stories : an animal that is half eagle and half lion

Full Definition of GRIFFIN

: a mythical animal typically having the head, forepart, and wings of an eagle and the body, hind legs, and tail of a lion

See griffin defined for English-language learners

See griffin defined for kids

Variants of GRIFFIN

grif·fin or grif·fon also gryph·on \ˈgri-fən\

Illustration of GRIFFIN

Origin of GRIFFIN

Middle English griffon, from Anglo-French grif, griffun, from Latin gryphus, from Greek gryp-, gryps

First Known Use: 14th century

Rhymes with GRIFFIN

stiffen, tiffin

Griffin

biographical name Grif·fin \ˈgri-fən\

Definition of GRIFFIN

Walter Burley 1876–1937 Am. architect

Griffin

geographical name Grif·fin \ˈgri-fən\

Definition of GRIFFIN

city W cen Georgia pop 23,643

GRIFFIN Defined for Kids

griffin

noun grif·fin \ˈgri-fən\

Definition of GRIFFIN for Kids

: an imaginary animal that is half eagle and half lion

Variants of GRIFFIN

grif·fin or grif·fon also gryph·on \ˈgri-fən\

Word History of GRIFFIN

The word griffin is borrowed, through medieval French and Latin, from the ancient Greek word gryps. The image of an animal combining features of a lion and a bird of prey was borrowed by the Greeks from the ancient Near Eastern world. The word gryps may have been borrowed as well, as it resembles karību, a word for winged lions in Akkadian, the language of ancient Babylonia and Assyria. On the other hand, gryps may have been influenced by Greek gyps, “vulture,” and grypos, “curved, bent” (of a bird's beak or claws).