Gothic describes a dramatic, mysterious style in art and architecture that emphasizes darkness, grandeur, and the supernatural. The word originally referred to a style of European architecture from the Middle Ages, featuring soaring pointed arches, towering spires, elaborate stone carvings, and enormous stained glass windows that filled cathedrals with colored light. Notre-Dame in Paris and Westminster Abbey in London are famous Gothic buildings where the stone seems to reach toward heaven.

Over time, Gothic came to describe anything with a dark, mysterious, or slightly spooky atmosphere. Gothic novels like Frankenstein or Dracula feature haunted castles, stormy nights, and supernatural events. Gothic fashion uses dark colors (especially black), dramatic makeup, and Victorian-inspired clothing. Gothic music often sounds moody and melancholy.

When someone describes a mansion as Gothic, they usually mean it looks old, imposing, and perhaps a bit eerie, the kind of place you'd expect to find in a mystery story on a fog-shrouded hill.