griffe

¹ American  

[grif] / grɪf /

noun

Chiefly Louisiana.

1. the offspring of a Black person and a mulatto.

2. a person of mixed Black and American Indian ancestry.

3. a mulatto, especially a woman.

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griffe ² American  

[grif] / grɪf /

noun

Architecture.

1. an ornament at the base of a column, projecting from the torus toward a corner of the plinth.

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griffe British  

/ ɡrɪf /

noun

1. architect a carved ornament at the base of a column, often in the form of a claw

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Etymology

Origin of griffe¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1715–25; from Louisiana French, from Caribbean Spanish grifo “curly-haired”

Origin of griffe²

1870–75; < French: claw < Germanic