Quarterings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A division of a shield in heraldry that displays four different coats of arms or designs
2. The practice of partitioning a coat of arms into four sections, each representing a different lineage or family
3. The term referring to the four segments of a heraldic shield, often signifying lineage through marriage or descent

Etymology: The plural of "quartering" is "quarterings," and the root word is simple: "quarter" plus the suffix "-ing." The base verb "to quarter" means to divide something into four parts, which is exactly what a heraldic shield does when it is split into four fields. A coat of arms divided this way could then be loaded with the arms of other families, each set in its own section, so the plural form refers to the separate shields or segments that a single shield displays. The meaning then shifted from the division itself to the record of descent. Each quartering shows a family line that a holder could claim, usually through a marriage or an inheritance, so a shield with many quarterings became a visible proof of ancestry. The word therefore moved from a description of how a shield was laid out to a statement about whose blood and property a person had acquired.