Azure

Azure

: "This article is about the heraldic tincture. For other meanings, see azure (disambiguation)".

In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation.

The term azure derives from the Persian لاژورد "lazhward", which was the name of a place known for its deposits of the deep blue stone now called lapis lazuli (stone of lazhward). The word was adopted into Old French by the twelfth century, from which the word passed into use in the blazon of coats of arms.

As a heraldic colour, the word "azure" simply means "blue". It is one of many concepts with both a French and German word in English, the former being used by the French-speaking nobles following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 and the latter being used by the commoners of Anglo-Saxon stock. So while French-speaking heralds described banners as "azure", commoners simply called them "blue". Because it comes from a French word that simply means "blue", a wide range of colour values is used in the depiction of azure in armory and flags.

In addition to the standard blue tincture called azure, there is a lighter blue sometimes found that is called bleu celeste or "sky blue". Neither azure nor bleu celeste is precisely defined as a particular shade of blue, but azure is consistently depicted in a much darker shade.

Azure is said to represent the following: [cite book | last = Elvin | first = Charles Norton | year = 1889 | title = A Dictionary of Heraldry ]

* Of jewels, the sapphire
* Of heavenly bodies, Jupiter (The planet Jupiter is further associated with the metal tin in traditional alchemical/occultistic lore)

ee also

*Azure (color)
*Bleu celeste
*Azure (journal)

References


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  • azure — azure …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • azuré — azuré …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • azuré — azuré, ée [ azyre ] adj. • XIIIe; de azur ♦ Littér. Qui est de couleur d azur. Une teinte azurée. « Ses yeux, sous l ombre azurée des cils » (France). ● azuré nom masculin Nom usuel des lycènes. ● azuré, azurée adjectif Littéraire. D un bleu d …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Azure — Az ure (?; 277), a. [F. & OSp. azur, Sp. azul, through Ar. from Per. l[=a]jaward, or l[=a]juward, lapis lazuli, a blue color, l[=a]jaward[=i], l[=a]juward[=i], azure, cerulean, the initial l having been dropped, perhaps by the influence of the Ar …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Azure — ist der englische Name für die Farbe Azurblau und wird auch bei folgenden Begriffen verwendet: Azure Lake, der Name mehrerer Seen in den Vereinigten Staaten Azure Ray, ein US amerikanisches Musikerinnenduo Bentley Azure, zwei Cabriolet Modelle… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Azure — Az ure, n. 1. The lapis lazuli. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] 2. The clear blue color of the sky; also, a pigment or dye of this color. In robes of azure. Wordsworth. [1913 Webster] 3. The blue vault above; the unclouded sky. [1913 Webster] Not like… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Azure A — IUPAC name N ,N dimethylphenothiazin 5 ium 3,7 diamine chloride …   Wikipedia

  • Azure — Azure, MT U.S. Census Designated Place in Montana Population (2000): 253 Housing Units (2000): 59 Land area (2000): 4.462862 sq. miles (11.558759 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 4.462862 sq.… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Azure, MT — U.S. Census Designated Place in Montana Population (2000): 253 Housing Units (2000): 59 Land area (2000): 4.462862 sq. miles (11.558759 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 4.462862 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • azuré — azuré, ée adj. Qui est de couleur d azur. La voute azurée, les champs azurés, c est à dire les espaces célestes. HISTORIQUE    XVIe s. •   Ce ciel azuré, tant richement contre pointé d estoilles, et ces flambeaux roulants sans cesse sur nos… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • azuré — AZURÉ, ÉE. adj. Qui est peint de couleur d azur. Lambris azuré. [b]f♛/b] On dit en Poésie, La voûte azurée, pour dire, Le Ciel; et, Les plaines azurées, pour dire, La mer …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

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