saltire

[ sal-teer, -tahyuhr, sawl- ]

nounHeraldry.
  1. an ordinary in the form of a cross with arms running diagonally from the dexter chief to the sinister base and from the sinister chief to the dexter base; St. Andrew's cross.

Idioms about saltire

  1. in saltire, (of charges) arranged in the form of a saltire.

  2. per saltire, diagonally in both directions: party per saltire.

Origin of saltire

1
1350–1400; Middle English sawtire<Middle French sautoir crossed jumping bar <Medieval Latin saltātōrium something pertaining to jumping; see saltant, -tory2

Words Nearby saltire

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use saltire in a sentence

  • The Treasurer: Gules, a saltire between four leopards' heads or.

    A Complete Guide to Heraldry | Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
  • Neither at that moment would Lord saltire have heard her if she had.

    Ravenshoe | Henry Kingsley

British Dictionary definitions for saltire

saltire

less commonly saltier

/ (ˈsɔːlˌtaɪə) /


noun
  1. heraldry an ordinary consisting of a diagonal cross on a shield

Origin of saltire

1
C14 sawturoure, from Old French sauteour cross-shaped barricade, from saulter to jump, from Latin saltāre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012