orle

Etymology

From Old French (also modern) orle, from orler (“to hem”), or from Vulgar Latin *orula, a diminutive of Latin ora (“edge”), probably from os, oris (“mouth”).

noun

  1. (heraldry) A bordure that runs around the outline of a shield without touching the edge.
    1819, In his hand he bore that singular “abacus”, or staff of office, with which Templars are usually represented, having at the upper end a round plate, on which was engraved the cross of the Order, inscribed within a circle or orle, as heralds term it. — Walter Scott, Ivanhoe
  2. (heraldry) The wreath, or chaplet, surmounting or encircling the helmet of a knight and bearing the crest; a torse.
  3. (architecture) A fillet under the ovolo of a capital.

Attribution / Disclaimer All definitions come directly from Wiktionary using the Wiktextract library. We do not edit or curate the definitions for any words, if you feel the definition listed is incorrect or offensive please suggest modifications directly to the source (wiktionary/orle), any changes made to the source will update on this page periodically.