Emblazonries

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A decorative or heraldic ornamentation used for displaying symbols or achievements
2. The act or process of embellishing something often with intricate designs or coats of arms
3. The artwork or representations that vividly showcase a person's status or legacy through visual means

Etymology: "Emblazonries" is simply the plural of "emblazonry," so it refers to more than one instance of the craft or its results: the decorative heraldic devices and shield designs that are painted, carved or woven onto arms, banners and surcoats. The noun is built from "emblazon," a verb meaning to display something conspicuously or to depict heraldic arms, plus the suffix "-ry," which in English forms nouns denoting a practice, a collection, or the products of an activity, as in "cookery" or "jewelry." The base verb "emblazon" is itself a compound-style formation within English, combining the prefix "em-" (meaning "in" or "into," as in "enclose" or "embed") with "blazon," the heraldic word for describing a coat of arms in precise technical terms. So the word carries two layers of meaning: the act of describing arms and the act of painting them. Taken together, "emblazonry" names the whole art of making shields and their devices visible, and the plural form counts the individual designs themselves.

Synonyms: heraldry, armory, coats of arms, insignia, crest