heraldry n
1. the study and classification of armorial bearings and the tracing of genealogies
2. emblem indicating the right of a person to bear arms

Heraldry \Her"ald*ry\, n. The art or office of a herald; the art, practice, or science of recording genealogies, and blazoning arms or ensigns armorial; also, of marshaling cavalcades, processions, and public ceremonies.

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Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of devising, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. To most, though, heraldry is the practice of designing, displaying, describing, and recording coats of arms and heraldic badges.

Historically, it has been variously described as "the shorthand of history" Eventually a formal system of rules developed into ever more complex forms of heraldry.

To "blazon" arms means to describe them using the formal language of heraldry. This language has its own vocabulary and syntax, or rules governing word order, which becomes essential for comprehension when blasoning a complex coat of arms. The verb comes from the Middle English "blasoun," itself a derivative of the French "blason" meaning "shield." The system of blazoning arms used in English-speaking countries today was developed by heraldic officers in the Middle Ages. The blazon includes a description of the armourials contained within the escutcheon or shield, the crest, supporters where present, motto and other insignia. Complex rules apply to the physical and artistic form of new creations of arms, such as the Rule of tincture. A thorough understanding of these rules is a key to the art of heraldry. In Europe originally the rules and terminology were broadly similar from kingdom to kingdom, but several national styles had developed by the end of the Middle Ages. Most aspects, however, remain in common.

• Delft, Holland: playing 17th-century detective - Daily Telegraph
  At the heart of Delft is a crime scene. Elsewhere, everything is in order: streets neatly cobbled; heraldry gleaming, and all the shutters a uniform civic scarlet. But this isn't oppressive in any sense. It's just a reminder that, here, the Golden Age has ... Read more on this news related to 'Heraldry'
• Breitbart.com: Document supporting Elizabeth Warren’s ancestry claim doesn’t exist - Hotair.com
  While family members may find these myths of interest, professionals like the New England Historic Genealogical Society and Christopher Child, or the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, where I have served on the Heraldry Committee ... Read more on this news related to 'Heraldry'
• Pot luck to celebrate Queen’s Jubilee - niagarathisweek.com
  But the highlight of the evening is a talk by Bishop D. Ralph Spence titled “Time Changes! Heraldry Of The Queen’s Jubilee.” Bishop Spence is the holder of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal, 1997, and Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and ... Read more on this news related to 'Heraldry'