ERMINE

Ermine

Ermine in heraldry is a "fur", or varied tincture, consisting of a white background with a pattern of black shapes representing the winter coat of the stoat . The linings of medieval coronation cloaks and some other garments, usually reserved to use by high-ranking peers and royalty, were made by sewing many ermine furs together to produce a luxurious white fur with patterns of hanging black-tipped tails. Due largely to the association of the ermine fur with the linings of coronation cloaks, crowns and peerage caps, the heraldic tincture of ermine was usually reserved to similar applications in heraldry .

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ermine

Noun

  1. A weasel, , found in northern latitudes; its dark brown fur turns white in winter (apart from the black tip of the tail)
  2. The white fur of this animal
  3. A symbol of purity
  4. The office of a judge
  5. A white field with black spots

Verb

  1. To clothe with ermine


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: ermine
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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