Association of British Scrabble Players

Society > Ranks & Titles > Heraldry


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.