griffon

¹ American  

[grif-uhn] / ˈgrɪf ən /

noun

1. a vulture of the genus Gyps, especially G. fulvus, of southern Europe.

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griffon ² American  

[grif-uhn] / ˈgrɪf ən /

noun

1. any of several varieties of the Brussels griffon differing from each other in coloration or in the texture of the coat.

2. Also called wirehaired pointing griffon.  one of a Dutch breed of medium-sized dogs having a coarse, steel-gray or grayish-white coat with chestnut markings, used for pointing and retrieving birds.

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griffon ¹ British  

/ ˈɡrɪfən /

noun

1. any of various small wire-haired breeds of dog, originally from Belgium

2. any large vulture of the genus Gyps, of Africa, S Europe, and SW Asia, having a pale plumage with black wings: family Accipitridae (hawks)

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griffon ² British  

/ ˈɡrɪfən /

noun

1. a variant of griffin 1

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Etymology

Origin of griffon¹

1350–1400; Middle English griffoun < French; griffin ¹

Origin of griffon²

1820–30; < French; akin to griffin ¹

Example Sentences

Judge Tamas Jakkel's choice for reserve dog was a petit basset griffon vendeen called Meghan, from Croatia, who earlier won the Hound group.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

Fourth-grader Micah Wacker trains Ruby Mae, a 14-pound Brussels griffon, and has taken her to Canada, with his mom and grandmother, for competitions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

Kodi the griffon mix, who plays Cosmos in the Swiss comedy-drama, narrowly beat Xin, a sighthound who instead wagged away with the Grand Jury Prize for the Chinese drama “Black Dog.”

From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024

Buddy Holly, a petit basset griffon Vendéen, took the top prize at the Westminster Dog Show.

From New York Times • May 10, 2023

Where the crest is the head of a griffon or bird the feathering of the neck will be carried on to cover the mantle.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 3 "Helmont, Jean" to "Hernosand" by Various