Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Dexter and sinister are terms used in heraldry to refer to specific locations in an escutcheon bearing a coat of arms, and to the other elements of an achievement. Dexter ( Latin for 'right') [ 1 ] indicates the right-hand side of the shield, as regarded by the bearer, i.e. the bearer's proper right , and to the left as seen by the viewer.
The side, or flank (Fr. flanc), is a heraldic ordinary resembling a pale that has been displaced to either the dexter or sinister edge of the field. Pierre-Barthélemy Gheusi, following M. Aug. Tailhades, groups the sides (flanc dextre and flanc sénestre) with the chief and base (and bordure) as ordinaries (pièces honorables) that are affixed ...
The sides of the shield are known as the dexter and sinister flanks, although these terms are based on the point of view of the bearer of the shield, who would be standing behind it; to the observer, and in all heraldic illustration, the dexter is on the left side, and the sinister on the right. [63] [64] [65]
In many cases of marriage, the shield is impaled with the husband's entire coat of arms placed on the dexter side and the wife's entire coat placed on the sinister side; if the wife is an heiress, however, her arms are placed in escutcheon over her husband's (such usage is almost entirely English, Scots marshalling being impaling like any other ...
The heraldic terms dexter ('right') and sinister ('left') represent the shield bearer's perspective, not the viewer's. To dexter or the viewer's left is the direction animals are presumed to face. This position is thus not specified unless necessary for clarity, as when a human or human-like being is depicted (the default position for these is ...
The terms are derived from the Latin words for "left" (sinister) and "right" (dexter). Other disciplines use different terms (such as dextro-and laevo-rotary in chemistry, or clockwise and anticlockwise in physics) or simply use left and right (as in anatomy). Relative direction and chirality are distinct concepts.
For premium support please call: 800-290-4726 more ways to reach us
Other terms are used to describe the lion's position in further detail. Each coat of arms has a right and left (i.e. dexter and sinister) side - with respect to the person carrying the shield - so the left side of the shield as drawn on the page (thus the right side to the shield bearer) is called the dexter side. The lion's head is normally ...