Blazoners

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who publicly proclaims or displays something ostentatiously
2. An individual skilled in heraldry who creates or describes coats of arms or symbols
3. Someone who advertises or promotes with flourish, often emphasizing notable features or achievements

Etymology: "Blazoners" is the plural of "blazoner," which is formed from "blazon" with the agent suffix "-er," so a blazoner is literally one who blazons. The suffix is the easy part; the story lies in "blazon" itself, which began as a heraldic term before spreading into everyday speech. Its original sense was the description of a coat of arms in the precise technical language heralds used, and that narrow, specialist meaning is the root of the broader sense of publicly displaying or proclaiming something. The sense of loud, flamboyant promotion grew out of that proclamatory idea. A blazoner announces and describes his subject with emphasis, which is why the word today suggests someone showing off a product or a person's best qualities. The shift from a precise heraldic craft to vigorous publicity is a neat example of how a technical vocabulary can slip into general use and take on a new flavour along the way.

Synonyms: heralders