tressure

[tresh-er]

noun

Heraldry. a narrower diminutive of the orle, usually ornamented with fleurs-de-lis at the edges and often doubled.

Numismatics. an ornamental border enclosing the type on a coin or medal.

Origin of tressure

1275–1325; late Middle English < Middle French, equivalent to tress(er) to braid, plait (derivative of tresse tress) + -ure -ure; replacing Middle English tressour < Middle French tresseor, tressoir

Related formstres·sured, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for tressure

Historical Examples of tressure

The tressure should be double, but in this instance it is single.
Royal English Bookbindings
Cyril Davenport
The border surrounding the lion is heraldically known as the tressure.
The Flags of the World
F. Edward Hulme
The same rule, by the way, applies to the tressure, but not to the orle.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
The first authentic illustration of the tressure in the arms of Scotland dates from the year 1260.
The Flags of the World
F. Edward Hulme
In 1471 there was a curious attempt of the Scottish Parliament to displace the tressure.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies

British Dictionary definitions for tressure

tressure

noun

heraldry a narrow inner border on a shield, usually decorated with fleurs-de-lys

Derived Formstressured, adjective

Word Origin for tressure

C14: from Old French tressour, from trecier to plait, from trece tress

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