Jump To:

• griffin
  griffin

  noun

  a fabled monster, usually having the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion.
• Griffin
  Griffin

  noun

  a city in W Georgia.

griffin

¹ American  

[grif-in] / ˈgrɪf ɪn /

Also griffon,

noun

Classical Mythology.

1. a fabled monster, usually having the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion.

---

griffin ² American  

[grif-in] / ˈgrɪf ɪn /

noun

1. (in India and the East) a newcomer, especially a white person from a Western country.

---

Griffin ³ American  

[grif-in] / ˈgrɪf ɪn /

noun

1. a city in W Georgia.

2. a male given name.

---

griffin ¹ British  

/ ˈɡrɪfɪn /

noun

1. a winged monster with an eagle-like head and the body of a lion

---

griffin ² British  

/ ˈɡrɪfɪn /

noun

1. a newcomer to the Orient, esp one from W Europe

---

Other Word Forms

• griffinage
  noun
• griffinhood
  noun
• griffinism
  noun
• griffinesque
  adjective
• griffinish
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of griffin¹

1300–50; Middle English griffoun < Middle French grifon < Latin grȳphus < Greek grȳp- (stem of grȳ́ps ) “curled, curved, having a hooked nose”

Origin of griffin²

First recorded in 1785–95; origin uncertain

Explanation

If your little brother wants a pet griffin, you should probably try to talk him out of it. A griffin is a flying, eagle-headed lion with sharp talons. (Luckily for you, griffins aren't real.) The mythical griffin — also spelled gryphon or griffon — dates as far back as 3000 BCE. Some griffins have the front talons of an eagle, like the griffins that appear on shields or coats-of-arms — they were often used this way, since the combination of lion and eagle was seen as being especially brave and strong. Griffins appear in literature ranging from Rumi's ancient Persian poetry to the Harry Potter books. The word's Greek root is gryps, "curved."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

griffin Griffin

On the left arm, the mythical griffin creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle appears to be fighting with a stag.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2025

Hart said the debate over the griffin missed the bigger picture.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 17, 2021

For every lion there’s a griffin — a lion’s body fused with an eagle’s head, wings and sometimes talons — and for every pelican, a fire-breathing dragon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2019

You can’t have a lot of body horror in a kid’s movie, but you can have a topiary griffin who torrentially evacuates dead leaves across the backyard in a beautiful, disgusting arc.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2018

She breathed in the scent of her jumper, where the griffin once had lain against her skin.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

They mention Mamdani’s controversial video standing outside of the Manhattan tower where hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin has a penthouse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

“I’m just going to do my best to stay mentally focused,” Wagler said when asked about the pressure of being the team’s first top-five pick since Blake Griffin in 2009.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

While Griffin and fellow business leaders were outraged by the stunt, Mamdani’s poll numbers haven’t suffered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Since we’re talking to and about Kathy Griffin, we can’t rightly quote the old saying that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

Alfred kept looking over his shoulder as they slapped Griffin awake and helped him down the ring steps.

From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte

Related Words

• cat
• cougar
• wildcat