bend sinister

American  

noun

Heraldry.

1. a diagonal band extending from the sinister chief of an escutcheon to the dexter base: a supposed mark of bastardy.

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bend sinister British  

noun

1. heraldry a diagonal line bisecting a shield from the top right to the bottom left, typically indicating a bastard line

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Etymology

Origin of bend sinister

First recorded in 1615–25

Example Sentences

That in heraldry, a bend sinister indicates bastardy.

From New York Times • Dec. 19, 2019

It is a diminutive of the bend sinister, of which it is one-fourth in width, couped or cut short at the ends, so as not to touch the corners of the shield.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 3 Atrebates to Bedlis by Various

The bend sinister is the same breadth as the bend dexter, and is drawn from the sinister to the dexter side of the shield.

From The Manual of Heraldry; Fifth Edition Being a Concise Description of the Several Terms Used, and Containing a Dictionary of Every Designation in the Science by Anonymous

The scarpe is the diminutive of the bend sinister, and is half its size.

From The Manual of Heraldry; Fifth Edition Being a Concise Description of the Several Terms Used, and Containing a Dictionary of Every Designation in the Science by Anonymous

Far better the bend sinister in his own class than a legitimate parent of the type of 'Gene Bisbee or D.V.

From The Avalanche by Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn