| Blazon |
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| heraldry | |
| vexillology | |
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In Heraldry and heraldic Vexillology , a blazon is a formal description of, most often, a Coat Of Arms or Flag , which enables a person to construct or reconstruct the appropriate image. A coat of arms or flag is therefore not primarily defined by a picture, but rather by the wording of its blazon (though often flags are in modern usage additionally and more precisely defined using geometrical specifications). ''Blazon'' also refers to the specialized language in which a blazon is written, and, as a verb, to the act of writing such a description. Other objects, such as Badge s, Banner s, and Seal s may be described in blazon. GRAMMAR A blazon follows a rather rigid formula.
A composite shield is blazoned one panel at a time, proceeding by rows from chief (top) to base, and within each row from dexter (the right side of the bearer standing behind the shield) to sinister, i.e. from the viewer's left to the right. A given coat-of-arms may be drawn in many different ways, all considered equivalent, just as the letter "A" may be printed in many different fonts while still being the same letter. For example, the shape of the shield is almost always immaterial. Because heraldry developed at a time when English clerks wrote in French, many terms in English heraldry are of French origin, as is the practice of placing most Adjective s after Noun s rather than before. COMPLEXITY Full descriptions of shields range in complexity, from a single word to a convoluted series describing compound shields:
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