Advertisement

Advertisement

vair

[vair]

noun

  1. a fur much used for lining and trimming garments in the 13th and 14th centuries, generally assumed to have been that of a variety of squirrel with a gray back and white belly.

  2. Heraldry.,  a fur represented by a pattern of escutcheon- or bell-shaped figures, each outlining the adjacent sides of those beside it so that the figures alternate vertically and horizontally both in position and in tinctures, of which argent and azure are common.



vair

/ vɛə /

noun

  1. a fur, probably Russian squirrel, used to trim robes in the Middle Ages

  2. one of the two principal furs used on heraldic shields, conventionally represented by white and blue skins in alternate lines Compare ermine

“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
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of vair1

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Latin varium something particolored; various
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of vair1

C13: from Old French: of more than one colour, from Latin varius variegated, various
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“T’ree vair’ good dogs,” François told Perrault.

Read more on Literature

Lastly, with much difficulty in narrowing down my choices for a spa treatment, I decided on a two-hour Vair Story about love called Amaur.

Read more on Salon

The next day, waiting for me at the Vair Spa was a woman in bare feet, with a flowy dress and long brown hair, who led me on a tour of the dark, cavernous hallways of this magical den.

Read more on Salon

But he wanted to learn how candy was made, so he apprenticed under Howard Vair, owner of Vair-E-Best, a candy factory in Highland Park.

Read more on Seattle Times

Folklorists have argued for decades over whether Cinderella’s pantoufles de verre might have come about as a mishearing, on Charles Perrault’s part, of pantoufles de vair.

Read more on The New Yorker

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


vainlyVaisheshika