What does griffin mean?

Definitions for griffin
ˈgrɪf ɪngrif·fin

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word griffin.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. gryphon, griffin, griffonnoun

    winged monster with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion

Wiktionary

  1. griffinnoun

    A mythical beast having the body of a lion and the wings and head of an eagle.

  2. griffinnoun

    A person who has just arrived from Europe.

  3. Griffinnoun

    derived from Griffinus, a latinized form of Griffith.

  4. Griffinnoun

    A Irish surname, an anglicization of Ó Gríobhtha or Ó Grifín

  5. Griffinnoun

    A Welsh patronymic surname.

  6. Griffinnoun

    A male given name from Welsh derived from Griffinus, a latinized form of Griffith.

  7. Griffinnoun

    A female given name.

  8. Griffinnoun

    A city, the county seat of Spalding County, Georgia, United States, named for landowner Col. Lewis Lawrence Griffin.

  9. Griffinnoun

    A suburb of Brisbane, Queensland; named for a family of early settlers.

  10. Griffinnoun

    A town in Indiana; named for postmaster Samuel Griffin.

  11. Griffinnoun

    A community in Saskatchewan.

  12. Griffinnoun

    An unincorporated community in Missouri.

  13. Griffinnoun

    A former settlement in Illinois.

  14. Etymology: From grifoun, from gryphus, from γρύψ.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Griffin, Griffonnoun

    A fabled animal, said to be generated between the lion and eagle, and to have the head and paws of the lion, and the wings of the eagle.

    Of all bearing among these winged creatures, the griffin is the most ancient. Henry Peacham, on Blazoning.

    Aristeus, a poet of Proconesus, affirmed, that near the one-eyed nations griffins defended the mines of gold. Brown.

Wikipedia

  1. Griffin

    The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: γρύψ, gryps; Classical Latin: grȳps or grȳpus; Late and Medieval Latin: gryphes, grypho etc.; Old French: griffon) is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and sometimes an eagle's talons as its front feet. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts, and the eagle the king of the birds, by the Middle Ages, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. Since classical antiquity, griffins were known for guarding treasures and priceless possessions.In Greek and Roman texts, griffins and Arimaspians were associated with gold deposits of Central Asia. Indeed, as Pliny the Elder wrote, "griffins were said to lay eggs in burrows on the ground and these nests contained gold nuggets."In medieval heraldry, the griffin became a Christian symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine.

ChatGPT

  1. griffin

    A griffin is a mythical creature, usually depicted as having the body, back legs and tail of a lion, and the head, wings and talons of an eagle. This combination symbolizes mastery of both the ground and the sky. The griffin is often found in ancient and medieval folklore and artwork, symbolizing strength and wisdom.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Griffinnoun

    an Anglo-Indian name for a person just arrived from Europe

  2. Griffinnoun

    alt. of Griffon

Wikidata

  1. Griffin

    The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons as its front feet. As the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle was the king of the birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. The griffin was also thought of as king of the creatures. Griffins are known for guarding treasure and priceless possessions. Adrienne Mayor, a classical folklorist, proposes that the griffin was an ancient misconception derived from the fossilized remains of the Protoceratops found in gold mines in the Altai mountains of Scythia, in present day southeastern Kazakhstan, or in Mongolia. In antiquity it was a symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine. Some have suggested that the word griffin is cognate with Cherub.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Griffin

    grif′in, Griffon, grif′un, n. an imaginary animal, with the body and legs of a lion, and the crooked beak and wings of an eagle: a new-comer in India, a novice: a watchful guardian, esp. over a young woman: a duenna.—adj. Griff′inish.—n. Griff′inism. [Fr. griffon—L. gryphus—Gr. grypsgrypos, hook-nosed.]

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

  1. Griffin

    or Griffon, a chimerical fabulous animal with the body and legs of a lion in symbol of strength, with the wings and beak of an eagle in symbol of swiftness, with the ears of a horse in symbol of watchfulness, and instead of a mane the fin of a fish; figures among heraldic symbols with the significance here indicated.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. griffin

    A name given to Europeans during the first year of their arrival in India; it has become a general term for an inexperienced youngster.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. griffin

    A fabulous animal, usually represented in heraldry with the body and hind legs of a lion, and the beak, wings, and claws of an eagle.

Suggested Resources

  1. griffin

    The griffin symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the griffin symbol and its characteristic.

  2. griffin

    Song lyrics by griffin -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by griffin on the Lyrics.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. GRIFFIN

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Griffin is ranked #122 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Griffin surname appeared 198,406 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 67 would have the surname Griffin.

    63.7% or 126,524 total occurrences were White.
    30.8% or 61,129 total occurrences were Black.
    2.2% or 4,524 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    2.2% or 4,385 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    0.4% or 933 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
    0.4% or 873 total occurrences were Asian.

Matched Categories

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of griffin in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of griffin in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of griffin in a Sentence

  1. Superintendent Walt Griffin:

    He was reportedly fired because of a past precedent, but a district spokesmancouldnt say what that was, the station reported. Superintendent Walt Griffin wrote a letter to Brown condemning the speech. I am appalled with and extremely concerned about the abundance of profanity that you used with the students that you are responsible for supervising and leading.

  2. Ellen DeGeneres:

    Ellen DeGeneres from Ellen DeGeneres daytime talk show in 2006. Kathy Griffin explained Kathy Griffin wished there was more of a comradery between female comics. My issue with Ellen DeGeneres is simple, you know, the guys in comedy are so good about sticking together. I feel sad that women don't support each other the way the guys do. Joan [ Rivers ] and I would talk about this all the time. Patriarchy pits us against each other.

  3. Kathy Griffin:

    It’s me, Kathy Griffin - I got a haircut and I lost my career in a day. Hi, i just want to thank all the powerful writers and showrunners in this room for f---ing no support. Where the f--- have you been?

  4. Robyn Holmes:

    I feel like I'm being attacked, particularly by Commissioner Couy Griffin, in all the years that I've been clerk, I've never had a commission doubt anything about our elections.

  5. Scott Squires:

    Chaplains like Scott Squires and Kacie Griffin do not have to give up their First Amendment rights in order to serve their fellow soldiers.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

griffin#1#9185#10000

Translations for griffin

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"griffin." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 Oct. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/griffin>.

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    a decorative musical accompaniment (often improvised) added above a basic melody
    A suffuse
    B descant
    C lucubrate
    D excogitate

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