Quote:
Originally Posted by user_gary  heraldry = The profession, study, or art of devising, granting, and blazoning arms, tracing genealogies, and determining and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms.
please explain the highlighged parts. |
Devising: To invent. "Device" (with a c) is the noun (something that has been invented.) "Devise" (with an s) is the verb (to invent). Device rhymes with "ice" (as in ice cream). Devise rhymes with "tries".
It's worth remembering these two, since they are a useful memory aid for learning that Practice (with a c) is a noun, and Practise (with an s) is a verb. (At least, in English English spelling - I'm not sure whether the two are spelt differently in American English.)
Granting: To give permission. Example "I grant you free passage". The word "grant" can also be used as a noun. "He received a grant to attend college."
Blazoning: OK, I'll concede that this is an unusual technical term. The verb "to blazon" strictly means to describe something in heraldic terms. The noun "blazon" means a description (in words) of a heraldic device. The noun "emblazon" is a picture of such a device.
Ruling on questions of rank or protocol: Ruling in the sense of "applying and explaining rules", like a judge gives "a ruling".
It's worth noting that most terms used in blazoning something are actually medieval French rather than English, since the Norman (ie - Northern French) Conquest of England in 1066 had replaced the prior Saxon hierarchy with an important class of Lords.
If you really want to impress your friends, then you can point out that Earl is the only remaining English (Saxon) title, and that the other ranks (Duke, Marquess, Viscount, Baron) are all Norman. A British Earl is equivalent to a French Comte (Count), hence "Earl and Countess".
Mark