Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
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 | a heraldic cross having the arms narrow at the centre and expanding towards the ends >FORMEES. |
fourchee | a cross having the end of each arm forked >FOURCHEES. |
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 >OUNDIER, OUNDIESTTD> |
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 | a circlet heightened by (usu. eight) vair-shaped points resembling a rampart or palisade >VALLARS, VALLARIES. |
verdoy | an ornament of flowers and leaves >VERDOYS. [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. |