Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Escutcheon
Es-cutch′eon
,Noun.
1.
(Her.)
The surface, usually a shield, upon which bearings are marshaled and displayed. The surface of the escutcheon is called the
field
, the upper part is called the chief
, and the lower part the base
(see Chiff
, and Field
.). That side of the escutcheon which is on the right hand of the knight who bears the shield on his arm is called dexter
, and the other side sinister
. ☞ The two sides of an escutcheon are respectively designated as dexter and sinister, as in the cut, and the different parts or points by the following names: A, Dexter chief point; B, Middle chief point; C, Sinister chief point; D, Honor or color point; E, Fesse or heart point; F, Nombrill or navel point; G, Dexter base point; H, Middle base point; I, base point.
2.
A marking upon the back of a cow’s udder and the space above it (the perineum), formed by the hair growing upward or outward instead of downward. It is esteemed an index of milking qualities.
C. L. Flint.
3.
(Naut.)
That part of a vessel's stern on which her name is written.
R. H. Dane, Jr.
4.
(Carp.)
A thin metal plate or shield to protect wood, or for ornament, as the shield around a keyhole.
5.
(Zoöl.)
The depression behind the beak of certain bivalves; the ligamental area.
Escutcheon of pretense
, an escutcheon used in English heraldry to display the arms of the bearer's wife; – not commonly used unless she an heiress. Cf.
Impalement
.Webster 1828 Edition
Escutcheon
ESCUTCH'EON
,Noun.
Definition 2024
escutcheon
escutcheon
English
Noun
escutcheon (plural escutcheons)
- (heraldry) An individual or corporate coat of arms.
- 1922, Michael Arlen, chapter 1/5/1, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:
- And in the meanwhile, Society shivered a little feverishly, filled now with the scions of those who had come over with the Jewish and American Conquests. Escutcheons were becoming valueless, how sinister soever the blots and clots upon them.
-
- (heraldry) A small shield used to charge a larger one.
- (medicine) The pattern of distribution of hair upon the pubic mound.
- A marking upon the back of a cow's udder and the space above it (the perineum), formed by the hair growing upward or outward instead of downward. It was once taken as an index of milking qualities.
- 1867, Charles Louis Flint, Milch cows and dairy farming
- The milk-mirror, or escutcheon, is formed by the hair above the udder, extending upwards between the thighs, […]
- 1867, Charles Louis Flint, Milch cows and dairy farming
- (nautical) The part of a ship's stern where its name is displayed.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of R. H. Dana, Jr. to this entry?)
- A decorative and/or protective plate or bezel to fill the gap between a switch, pipe, valve, control knob, etc., and the surface from which it protrudes.
- The insignia around a doorknob's exterior hardware or a door lock's cosmetic plate.
- The depression behind the beak of certain bivalves; the ligamental area.
Derived terms
Translations
coat of arms