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Vair

 - 2 dictionary results

vair

[vair] ,
–noun
1. a fur much used for lining and trimming garments in the 13th and 14th centuries, generally assumed to have been that of a variety of squirrel with a gray back and white belly. Compare miniver (def. 1).
2. Heraldry. a fur represented by a pattern of escutcheon- or bell-shaped figures, each outlining the adjacent sides of those beside it so that the figures alternate vertically and horizontally both in position and in tinctures, of which argent and azure are common.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME < OF < L varium something particolored; see various
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Vair
vair   (vâr)   
n.  
  1. A fur, probably squirrel, much used in medieval times to line and trim robes.

  2. Heraldry A representation of fur.


[Middle English, from Old French, variegated, vair, from Latin varius, variegated.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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