passant

[ pas-uh nt ]

/ ˈpæs ənt /

adjective Heraldry.

(of a beast) represented as in the act of walking, with one forepaw raised.

Nearby words

Origin of passant

1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French, present participle of passer to pass; see -ant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for passant

So the exclamation of the highwayman, Seigneur passant, &c., must be a translation of Señor passagero.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 55, No. 344, June, 1844|Various
Passant Guardant: as before, but looking out from the Shield, No. 174.
The Handbook to English Heraldry|Charles Boutell
Passant ce plus petit lac, on entre dans la seconde mer douce, sur les riues de laquelle sont les Maroumine.
History of the Discovery of the Northwest by John Nicolet in 1634|Consul Willshire Butterfield
The griffin is rarely borne in other than two positions, viz., passant and segreant.
Fictitious & Symbolic Creatures in Art|John Vinycomb

A more correct description in such cases would be passant "respecting" or "regarding" each other.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry|Arthur Charles Fox-Davies

British Dictionary definitions for passant

passant

/ (ˈpæsənt) /

adjective

(usually postpositive) heraldry (of a beast) walking, with the right foreleg raised

Word Origin for passant

C14: from Old French, present participle of passer to pass

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

Word Origin and History for passant

passant

adj.

late 14c., from Old French passant, present participle of passer (see pass (v.)).