ABSP - Heraldry

Heraldry

Words

Heraldry

abatement	a diminution; a mark of dishonour added to arms.
achievement	a less common word for HATCHMENT.
additament	a thing added or appended; a heraldic ornament.
addorsed	turned back to back. N.B. there is no verb ADDORSE*.
affronte affrontee	face to face, or front to front; facing.
alerion allerion	an eagle displayed without feet or beak.
argent	silver; silver-like.
armiger	an armour-bearer; a person entitled to bear heraldic arms.
armigeral	relating to an ARMIGER.
armigero	= ARMIGER, a person entitled to bear arms > ARMIGEROS.
armigerous	entitled to bear heraldic arms.
armorial	heraldic; (noun) a book of coats of arms.
armorist	one skilled in coat armor or heraldry.
armory	heraldry.
assurgent	depicted as rising from the sea.
avellan avellane	of a cross, having four arms shaped like filberts at the end.
banderol banderole bandrol bannerall bannerol	a small banner or streamer.
barrulet	a narrow heraldic bar, one quarter the width of a bar.
baton	a diagonal line narrower than a BENDLET.
bendee bendy	divided into an even number of bends, coloured alternately.
bendlet	a narrow bend, esp. one half the width of the bend.
bendways bendwise	diagonally.
bezant	a small yellow circle like a gold coin.
bicorporate	double-bodied, as the head of a lion to which two bodies are attached.
brisure	a variation of a coat of arms showing the relation of a younger to the main line.
blazon	heraldic arms painted on knight's shield or surcoat; (verb) to read such arms.
blazoner	a person who blazons arms, a herald.
blazoning	(noun) the act of reading a coat of arms.
blazonry	heraldic devices or armorial bearings.
bordure	a border surrounding a heraldic shield.
botone botonee botonnee bottony	having knobs or buttons at the extremity.
caboched caboshed	full face with no neck showing.
cabre	rearing up. (The e has an accent).
cadency	the status of a younger branch of a family.
canton	(on a shield) a type of ORDINARY, a square occupying generally the dexter, sometimes the sinister, chief of the field.
cantoned	placed amongst charges occupying the corners of a shield.
cartouche	an oval shield used for women or ecclesiastics.
charge	a design, device or image depicted on heraldic arms e.g. a charge of three lions.
checky chequy	checkered.
chevron	the representation, usu on a shield, of two rafters of a house meeting at the top.
chevrony	adorned with chevrons.
cleche	voided or hollowed, showing only a narrow border.
compone compony	consisting of a row of squares of alternate tinctures.
confronte	face to face. The e has an accent.
cotise cottise	an ordinary, one quarter of a bend in breadth; (verb) to border with cotises.
cottised	bordered with COTTISES, heraldic ordinaries, one quarter of a bend in breadth.
couchant	in heraldry, an animal lying on its belly with head lifted.
couche	not erect; inclined; -- said of anything that is usually erect, as an escutcheon.
coupe couped	(of the head or limb of an animal) cut off evenly.
courant	in a running position; (noun) an old dance with a gliding step.
crestless	not entitled to bear arms.
crosslet	a small cross.
crusily	of a shield or charge: strewn with crosslets rather than crosses.
dancette dancettee	a zigzag line across a shield.
dancetty	having a DANCETTE, a zigzag line across a shield.
dannebrog	the ancient battle standard of Denmark, bearing figures of cross and crown.
debruise	to cross and partially hide (a charge, esp. an animal) with an ordinary which extends over the field.
declinant	having the tail hanging down.
decrescent	waning, with horns towards sinister.
dexter	(on) the right-hand side.
dexterwise	on the right-hand side e.g. of a shield.
dimidiate	to divide (a heraldic shield) into halves.
dimidiation	division into two halves, as of a heraldic shield.
dragonne	like a dragon in the rear part (the e is accented).
dwale	a black colour in heraldry; also, a name for deadly nightshade.
eightfoil	an eight-leaved flower.
emblazon	to describe, portray, or colour (arms) according to the conventions of heraldry; to portray heraldic arms on (a shield, one's notepaper, etc.).
emblazonry	the act or art of an emblazoner; heraldic or ornamental decoration, as pictures or figures on shields, standards, etc.; emblazonment.
enfiled	thrust through like a sword. N.B. there is no verb ENFILE*.
engouled	of bends, crosses etc. with ends in the mouths of animals. N.B. there is no verb ENGOULE.
engrail	to border with little semicircular indents.
ennoblement	the act of ennobling, esp. as involving the granting of a coat-of-arms.
ensign	to mark with a badge or sign placed above.
ermine ermelin	one fo the heraldic furs, a pattern of sable on argent.
escallop escalop	to indent like a scallop shell.
escrol escroll	a scroll.
escutcheon scutcheon	the shield bearing a coat-of-arms.
estoile etoile	a six-pointed star whose rays are wavy, instead of straight like those of a MULLET.
fess	a band over the middle of an escutcheon; (verb) (Scots) to fetch.
fesse	a horizontal band over the middle of an escutcheon.
fesswise	in the manner of a FESS, a band over the middle of an escutcheon.
fetterlock	a shackle for a horse, as a design on a shield.
filfot fylfot	a form of cross like a swastika.
fimbriate	to border with a narrow band or edge.
fitche fitchee fitchy	of a cross, having a pointed shaft.
flanch	a kind of subordinary, formed by a curved line at the side of a shield, always used in pairs; (verb) to spread out; slope outwards towards the top.
fleury	having fleur-de-lis. No comparative. Also FLORY.
flory	having fleur-de-lis > FLORIER, FLORIEST. Also FLEURY.
flotant	represented as flying or streaming in the air; as, a banner flotant.
formee	of a heraldic cross, having the arms narrow at the centre and expanding towards the ends.
fourchee	of a cross, having the end of each arm forked.
fructed	bearing fruit; -- said of a tree or plant so represented upon an ESCUTCHEON.
fylfot	see FILFOT.
gamb gambe	a beast's whole leg.
garbe gerbe	a (heraldic) sheaf of wheat.
gardant guardant	having the face turned towards the viewer; (noun) a protector.
gemel	a pair of bars placed close together.
gerbe	see GARBE.
giron gyron	one of a set of lines, usually six or eight, drawn from the edge of the ESCUTCHEON to meet at right angles in the fesse-point.
gironic gyronic	of or like a GIRON.
gironny gyronny	of a field, divided in a triangle pattern.
gobonee gobony	a pattern of heraldic line, the same as COMPONY.
golp golpe	a purple ROUNDEL.
gonfalon gonfanon	a banner, often with tails or streamers, hung from a crossbar; a small flag or pennant immediately below the head of a knight's lance.
guardant	see GARDANT.
gules	the colour red.
guly	of colour GULES (heraldic red). No comp!
gunstone	a red ROUNDEL.
gyron	see GIRON.
gyronic	see GIRONIC.
hatchment	a diamond-shaped escutcheon bearing a deceased person's arms.
hauriant haurient	with head up, as rising to the surface to breathe.
herald	a rank of heraldic officer, below king-at-arms.
heraldic	relating to heraldry.
heraldically	in the manner of a herald.
heraldist+	a student of heraldry.
heraldry	the occupation or study concerned with the classification of armorial bearings, the allocation of rights to bear arms, the tracing of genealogies, etc.
heraldship	the office of herald.
herisse	bristled.
herisson	in heraldry, a hedgehog. Also a freely revolving beam fitted with spikes, erected for defence.
hiant	gaping. [L. hiare, to yawn].
impale	to juxtapose two coats of arms on a single vertically divided shield.
impalement	the act of juxtaposing two coats of arms on a single vertically divided shield.
impartible	of a field, that cannot be divided up.
impresa imprese impresse	a device on a shield or seal, or used as a bookplate or the like
increscent	waxing, with horns towards dexter.
inescutcheon	a small shield borne in the centre of another shield.
interfretted	interlaced. N.B. there is no verb INTERFRET.
invecked invected	having or consisting of a borderline of small convex curves, like reverse ENGRAILED.
invexed	arched, concave. N.B. there is no verb INVEX.
issuant	issuing or coming up; -- a term used to express a charge or bearing rising or coming out of another.
jessant	shooting from the earth.
kikumon	the chrysanthemum badge of the Japanese imperial family.
kirimon	one of the two imperial crests of Japan, bearing three leaves and three flowers of paulownia.
lambrequin	a veil over a helmet.
langued	of a heraldic beast, with tongue in a different colour.
lioncel lioncelle lionel	a small lion used as bearing.
lis	a fleur-de-lis > LIS or LISSES.
lozengy	with lozenges.
manche	a sleeve.
mantling	the drapery of a coat-of-arms.
mascle	a diamond-shaped plate or scale.
mascled	covered with MASCLES.
masculy	covered with MASCLES.
moline	like the rind of a millstone, applying to the ends of the arms of a cross; (noun) a moline cross.
mon	a Japanese family badge or crest. (MONS is valid but as a word in its own right: a protuberance of the body.).
morne	(of a lion) without teeth or claws; (noun) the blunt head of a jousting lance.
morned	blunted.
mullet	a five-pointed star, the cadency mark of a son.
naiant	swimming horizontally.
naissant	of a charge, esp. an animal: issuing from the middle of a fess or other ordinary.
nebuly	composed of successive short curves supposed to resemble a cloud; -- said of a heraldic line by which an ordinary or subordinary may be bounded.
nombril	the point on an escutcheon between the fess point and the base point. [Fr. nombril, navel].
nowed	knotted.
nowy	having a convex curvature near the middle. No comp!
opinicus	a composite beast, part lion, part dragon, with features of other animals.
or	the heraldic tincture gold: pl. ORS.
ordinary	any of several conventional figures, such as the bend, cross or fess, commonly charged upon shields.
oriflamme	an inspiring standard or symbol; the orange-red flag of the Abbey of St. Denis, used as a standard by the early kings of France.
orle	a border within a shield at a short distance from the edge, aka voided escutcheon.
oundy	wavy. No comp!
paleways palewise	in the manner of a pale or pales; by perpendicular lines or divisions; as, to divide an escutcheon palewise.
paly	divided by vertical lines.
passant	a term of heraldry, applied to animals represented on the shield as passing by at a trot.
patonce	a form of cross.
patte pattee	of a cross: having limbs which are nearly triangular, being very narrow where they meet and widening out towards the extremities. PATTE is also a noun: a narrow band keeping a belt or sash in its place.
paty	having expanded crossed arms. No comp!
pean	1. (Her.) a fur resembling ermine but having gold markings on a black field. 2. (verb) to beat thin with a hammer, in which sense also PEEN, PENE.
pencel pensel pensil	a small pennon.
pennon	a long flag coming to a point or swallowtail, especially attached as banner to head of lance; pennant.
pennoncel pennoncelle penoncel penoncelle	a small flag like a PENNON.
percussant	bent round and striking the side e.g. a lion's tail.
pheon	the barbed head of a dart or arrow.
pily	divided into wedge shapes. No comp!
plate	a silver ROUNDEL.
pommee	of a heraldic cross, having arms with knoblike ends.
pommele	having a pommel (the e has an accent).
pommetty	having a pommel.
portate	borne not erect, but diagonally athwart an escutcheon; as, a cross portate.
potence	a crutch; a heraldic device shaped like the crosspiece of a crutch.
purpure	purple.
raguled raguly	of a line, with oblique projections like stubs.
rampant	of an animal, portrayed on its hind legs.
regardant	in profile and looking to rear.
riband ribband	a ribbon.
roundel	a circular CHARGE.
roundlet	a small ROUNDEL.
rousant	in a starting up posture.
rustre	a lozenge pierced with a circular opening.
rustred	pierced with a RUSTRE, a lozenge pierced with a circular opening.
sagittary	a representation of a centaur or mounted archer.
saltier saltire	an X-shaped cross, a St. Andrew's Cross.
saltirewise	in the fashion of a SALTIRE.
sanglier	in heraldry, a wild boar.
satyral	a monster compounded of man, lion and antelope.
scrog	in heraldry, a broken tree branch.
scuchin scuchion	an escutcheon, a shield bearing a coat-of-arms.
scutcheon	see ESCUTCHEON.
segreant	with raised wings.
sejant sejeant	sitting (upright).
seme semee semeed	strewn or scattered with small bearings.
sinister	(on) the left hand side.
statant	in a standing position; as, a lion statant.
subfield	a subdivision of a field.
subordinary	any of several heraldic bearings of secondary importance to the ordinary, such as the LOZENGE and the ORLE.
supporter	a figure in heraldry depicted as holding up a shield.
svastika swastica swastika	a Greek cross with arms bent at a right angle.
tabard taberd	a herald's or knight's cape over his armor blazoned with his coat of arms; an embroidered pennant attached to a trumpet.
tabarded	wearing a TABARD.
tenne tenny	orange-brown. No comp!
tierced	divided into three equal parts.
tincture	a metal (like OR), a colour (like VERT) or a fur (like ERMINE).
trangle	a diminutive of the FESSE.
tressour tressure	a kind of subordinary, like plaited lilies.
tressured	provided or bound with a TRESSURE; arranged in the form of a tressure.
tricolor tricolour	a flag of three colours; esp. the French national flag of blue, white, and red vertical stripes.
tricorporate tricorporated	having three bodies and one head.
trippant	tripping, with right foot raised.
umbrated	faintly traced.
unde undee undy	wavy. Also OUNDY.
undercrest	to support as a crest; to bear.
unguled	with claws or hooves tinted specially.
urde urdee urdy	pointed, with a pattern of points.
urinant	with head down, diving.
vaire vairy verrey verry	charged or variegated with VAIR, squirrel fur. VAIRY compares: VAIRIER, VAIRIEST.
vallar vallary	in vallar crown, crown vallar, a circlet heightened by (usu. eight) vair-shaped points resembling a rampart or palisade.
verdoy	charged with flowers, leaves. [Fr. verdoyé pp. of verdoyer, to make green].
vert	the heraldic colour green.
vol	in heraldry, two wings displayed and conjoined.
volant	of a heraldic bird, having the wings extended as if in flight.
vorant	devouring.
weel	a trap or snare for fish; a heraldic bearing resembling this.
woodwose woodhouse	a wild man of the woods, used in heraldry as a supporter.

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