Ermine (heraldry)

Ermine (heraldry)

In heraldry, ermine is one of the furs used in blazon, representing the skin of the stoat, known in medieval Latin as "armenius" (Armenian (mouse)). In winter the stoat has white fur and a black tail; heraldic ermine represents a number of skins sewn together, forming a pattern of sable (black) spots on argent (white). The tail or "ermine spot" has been represented in many ways; the illustrations here show the most usual form.

Besides black-on-white, at least three variants of ermine are considered tinctures rather than simply a field of a particular colour or metal semy of ermine spots of another colour or metal. A field of ermines (or "counter-ermine") is sable with argent spots. A field of erminois is Or with sable spots, while a field of pean is sable with Or spots.

Other combinations of tinctures are explicitly stated, as in "gules ermined argent" (red with white ermine spots).

ee also

*Flag of Brittany


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  • ermine — [ʉr′min] n. pl. ermines or ermine [ME & OFr ermin; OFr ermine, hermine, prob. < MHG hermin, erminelike < harme, ermine < OHG harmo, weasel (OE hearma): infl. by folk etym. assoc. with L ( mus) Armenius, Armenian (mouse)] 1. any of… …   English World dictionary

  • Ermine (disambiguation) — Ermine has several meanings: *An alternative name for the stoat (outside Britain also called the short tailed weasel) ( Mustela erminea ), when it goes white (except the end of its tail) in the winter. * The white fur of this animal, which is… …   Wikipedia

  • heraldry — heraldist, n. /her euhl dree/, n., pl. heraldries. 1. the science of armorial bearings. 2. the art of blazoning armorial bearings, of settling the rights of persons to bear arms or to use certain bearings, of tracing and recording genealogies, of …   Universalium

  • Heraldry — The German Hyghalmen Roll was made in the late fifteenth century and illustrates the German practice of repeating themes from the arms in the crest. (See Roll of arms) Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning …   Wikipedia

  • Ermine — Taxobox name = Ermine (or Stoat) status = LR/lc | status system = IUCN2.3 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Carnivora familia = Mustelidae subfamilia = Mustelinae genus = Mustela species = M. erminea binomial = Mustela …   Wikipedia

  • ermine — ermined, adj. /err min/, n., pl. ermines, (esp. collectively) ermine, adj. n. 1. an Old World weasel, Mustela erminea, having in its winter color phase a white coat with black at the tip of the tail. Cf. stoat. 2. any of various weasels having a… …   Universalium

  • ermine — n. (pl. same or ermines) 1 the stoat, esp. when in its white winter fur. 2 its white fur, used as trimming for the robes of judges, peers, etc. 3 Heraldry a white fur marked with black spots. Derivatives: ermined adj. Etymology: ME f. OF… …   Useful english dictionary

  • ermine — [ ə:mɪn] noun (plural same or ermines) 1》 a stoat.     ↘the white winter fur of the stoat, used for trimming the ceremonial robes of judges or peers.     ↘Heraldry fur represented as black spots on a white ground, as a heraldic tincture. 2》 a… …   English new terms dictionary

  • Tincture (heraldry) — In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and proper . A… …   Wikipedia

  • Ordinary (heraldry) — Shield Field Supporter Supporter Motto (Scotland) Cres …   Wikipedia

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