griffin1
- a fabled monster, usually having the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion.
Origin of griffin1
griffin2
- (in India and the East) a newcomer, especially a white person from a Western country.
Origin of griffin2
Griffin
- a city in W Georgia.
- a male given name.
Examples from the Web for griffin
Contemporary Examples
The series begins with a voiceover from a 9-year-old boy named Charlie (Griffin Gluck), basically a more precocious Meredith Grey.
‘Red Band Society’ Is Really Freaking Sad (And May Be TV’s Best New Drama)Kevin Fallon
September 17, 2014
Griffin is herself a character in the novel, the invisible hand on the other end of the tape recorder in all the interviews.
Griffin mined the portfolios of four artists to create the vast collection of images that dot the book.
Griffin Dunne directed that episode and he wanted me to feel like a caged animal.
Griffin screen-capped a series of direct messages that are allegedly from him.
Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire Posts Pro-Palestine Photo, Allegedly Cyberbullies Israeli-Born MTV VJRobert Silverman
July 14, 2014
Historical Examples
The griffin was itself a compound creature, half lion and half eagle.
The Devil's DictionaryAmbrose Bierce
If I should have a wire that Mr. Griffin was worse it might be shorter still.
Cap'n Dan's DaughterJoseph C. Lincoln
You know our junior partner, Mr. Griffin, has been very ill—I wrote you that.
Cap'n Dan's DaughterJoseph C. Lincoln
"I'm busy, Griffin," she began, and then broke off as she saw the girls.
Miss Pat at SchoolPemberton Ginther
"I think it more likely that it was Griffin herself," said Elinor with spirit.
Miss Pat at SchoolPemberton Ginther
griffin1
griffon or gryphon
- a winged monster with an eagle-like head and the body of a lion
Word Origin
griffin2
- a newcomer to the Orient, esp one from W Europe
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for griffin
n.
c.1200 (as a surname), from Old French grifon "a bird of prey," also "fabulous bird of Greek mythology" (with head and wings of an eagle, body and hind quarters of a lion, believed to inhabit Scythia and guard its gold), from Late Latin gryphus, misspelling of grypus, variant of gryps (genitive grypos), from Greek gryps (genitive grypos) "curved, hook-nosed," in reference to its beak.
Klein suggests a Semitic source, "through the medium of the Hittites," and cites Hebrew kerubh "a winged angel," Akkad. karibu, epithet of the bull-colossus (see cherub). The same or an identical word was used, with uncertain connections, in mid-19c. Louisiana to mean "mulatto" (especially one one-quarter or two-fifths white) and in India from late 18c. to mean "newly arrived European."