In architecture or decorative arts, a claw-like ornament or the signature mark of a craftsperson, particularly used in heraldry.
From French 'griffe' meaning 'claw,' derived from Germanic origins (compare Old High German 'grafen'). Used in both architectural ornamentation and in the sense of a maker's mark or signature, the word maintains its literal meaning of 'claw' in both contexts.
The word 'griffe' shows how architecture borrowed directly from nature—architects literally designed buildings with claw-like ornaments, and craftspeople used claw-shaped marks as their signatures, making the metaphor literal.
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