BLAZON

blazon, a heraldic shield, a coat of arms properly "described" according to the rules of heraldry, hence a proper heraldic description of such a coat. the o. fr. _blason_ seems originally to have meant simply a shield as a means of defence and not a shield-shaped surface for the display of armorial bearings, but this is difficult to reconcile with the generally accepted derivation from the ger. _blasen_, to blow, proclaim, english "blaze," to noise abroad, to declare. in the 16th century the heraldic term, and "blaze" and "blazon" in the sense of proclaim, had much influence on each other.