fesse
9.9
A broad horizontal band across the middle of a shield used in coats of arms
- noun
- /fɛs/
- Archaic
:
faja
- The knight's shield featured a bright red fesse across the center for identification.
Examples
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During the ceremony, the fesse was prominently displayed on the family's coat of arms.
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Bougez-vous les fesses.
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Elles sont entre mes fesses...
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J'ai mal aux fesses.
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Tu vends tes fesses pour te piquer !
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In heraldry, the fesse is often used to divide the shield into distinct sections.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A wide horizontal band across the middle of a shield
has identical meaning but differs as an alternative spelling
1
9.9
A picture or symbol shown on a shield to represent a family
focuses on a single central horizontal stripe not general decoration
9.9
A picture or symbol on a shield that shows who a family is
is a specific horizontal band rather than any shield design
Surface Forms
Etymology
Fesse comes from an old French word meaning 'band' or 'sash', and from the Latin fascia which also means 'band'. That's why a fesse is like a broad horizontal 'belt' across the middle of a shield.