passant

[pas-uh nt]

adjective Heraldry.

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

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

Historical Examples of passant

Me, passant, in the train, of the cabbage not quite so unconscious.
The Book of Humorous Verse
Various
Passant Guardant: as before, but looking out from the Shield, No. 174.
The Handbook to English Heraldry
Charles Boutell
Coward: passant reguardant, his tail between his legs, No. 182.
The Handbook to English Heraldry
Charles Boutell
Rampant or passant, they follow the customs of the unmaimed brute.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 3
Various
Passant oultre—one of Rabelais' favourite and most polymorphic expressions.
A History of the French Novel, Vol. 1
George Saintsbury

British Dictionary definitions for passant

passant

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

adj.

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