griffen.

1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 465/1 Griffe, a French term for an ornament at the angles of the base of early pillars, for which we have no proper equivalent. It first consisted of a single leaf, which became more elaborate, and was, no doubt, the origin of the foliated bases.

1901 R. Sturgis Dict. Archit. II. 323/1 The griffe..is often used for elaborate ornamentation, being carved into vegetable or even animal form.

1905 F. Bond Gothic Archit. 455 Griffes are found in Roman work in a similar position... Pliny describes griffes of lizards and frogs.

1952 H. H. Saylor Dict. Archit. (1963) 79 Griffe, an ornamental form, somewhat like a claw, extending from the torus of a column base and lying on the four corners of the plinth.