vair

[ vair ]

/ vɛər /

Save This Word!

noun

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.Compare miniver (def. 1).

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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of vair

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

Words nearby vair

vain, Väinämöinen, vainglorious, vainglory, vainly, vair, Vaisheshika, Vaishnava, Vaisya, vaivode, Vajpayee

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use vair in a sentence

“Ah, das is goot—vair goot,” said Meyer, opening his huge mouth very wide to let out a cloud of smoke and a quiet laugh.
Digging for Gold|R.M. Ballantyne
Napoleon 'e coaled op 'is laift vink, zey deploy in line, vair you see my shdeek—ha, ze shentelman is gone avay vonce more!
The Travelling Companions|F. Anstey
His son reverted to the plain shield of vair, or, and gules.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry|Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
The connection with vair is much clearer in the latter than in the former.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry|Arthur Charles Fox-Davies

Whether the slipper were of verre or of vair is a matter of no moment.
Popular Tales|Charles Perrault

British Dictionary definitions for vair

vair

/ (vɛə) /

noun

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

one of the two principal furs used on heraldic shields, conventionally represented by white and blue skins in alternate linesCompare ermine (def. 3)

Word Origin for vair

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

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