mascle

[mas-kuh l]

noun Heraldry.

a lozenge represented as having a lozenge-shaped hole at the center.

Origin of mascle

1300–50; Middle English, derivative of mask (now dial.), variant of mesh; see -le

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Examples from the Web for mascle

Historical Examples of mascle

The Mascle, too, rises there; I have heard four or five springs mentioned, I fancy.'
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola
If you don't want any one to see you, we will go along by the Mascle.
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola
The mascle is afterwards explained to be the lozenge pierced.
Notes and Queries, Number 210, November 5, 1853
Various
In the early days of Heraldry the Lozenge and the Mascle were evidently held to be identical.
The Handbook to English Heraldry
Charles Boutell

British Dictionary definitions for mascle

mascle

noun

heraldry a charge consisting of a lozenge with a lozenge-shaped hole in the middleAlso called: voided lozenge

Word Origin for mascle

C14: from Old French macle, perhaps from Latin macula spot

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012