Escutcheon

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Escutcheon \Es*cutch"eon\, n. [OF. escusson, F. ['e]cusson, from
     OF. escu shield, F. ['e]cu. See {Esquire}, {Scutcheon}.]
     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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: 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.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Naut.) That part of a vessel's stern on which her name is
        written. --R. H. Dane, Jr.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. (Carp.) A thin metal plate or shield to protect wood, or
        for ornament, as the shield around a keyhole.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. (Zo["o]l.) The depression behind the beak of certain
        bivalves; the ligamental area.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {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}.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  escutcheon
       n 1: a flat protective covering (on a door or wall etc) to
            prevent soiling by dirty fingers [syn: {finger plate}, {scutcheon}]
       2: (nautical) a plate on a ship's stern on which the name is
          inscribed
       3: a shield; especially one displaying a coat of arms [syn: {scutcheon}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  102 Moby Thesaurus words for "escutcheon":
     achievement, alerion, animal charge, annulet, argent,
     armorial bearings, armory, arms, azure, bandeau, bar, bar sinister,
     baton, bearings, bend, bend sinister, billet, blazon, blazonry,
     bordure, broad arrow, cadency mark, canton, chaplet, charge,
     chevron, chief, coat of arms, cockatrice, coronet, crescent, crest,
     cross, cross moline, crown, device, difference, differencing,
     eagle, ermine, ermines, erminites, erminois, falcon, fess,
     fess point, field, file, flanch, fleur-de-lis, fret, fur, fusil,
     garland, griffin, gules, gyron, hatchment, helmet, heraldic device,
     honor point, impalement, impaling, inescutcheon, label, lion,
     lozenge, mantling, marshaling, martlet, mascle, metal, motto,
     mullet, nombril point, octofoil, or, ordinary, orle, pale, paly,
     pean, pheon, purpure, quarter, quartering, rose, sable, saltire,
     scutcheon, shield, spread eagle, subordinary, tenne, tincture,
     torse, tressure, unicorn, vair, vert, wreath, yale