What does bordure mean?
A bordure is a band that runs around the outer edge of a heraldic shield, ranking among the ordinaries — the basic geometric charges from which coats of arms are built. In the language of armory, it functions both as decoration and as a device of differentiation: cadet branches of a family, for instance, have traditionally borne a bordure to distinguish their arms from those of the senior line, and medieval usage sometimes attached particular meanings, honorable or otherwise, to its presence. The word comes into English by way of Old French, ultimately from a Germanic root meaning 'edge' or 'side', making it a close cousin of the everyday word 'border'. Today 'bordure' appears almost exclusively in specialized contexts — heraldry, genealogy, and historical scholarship — where precision about a shield's components matters.
nounA band or strip surrounding the edge of a heraldic shield, treated as an ordinary in coats of arms.
- A band surrounding the outer edge of a heraldic shield, regarded as one of the ordinaries of armory.
"The coat of arms bore a gold bordure charged with eight small crosses."
"The royal arms were differenced by a bordure argent around the shield."
"Heraldic artists often used a bordure to set apart younger branches of a family."
Regular plural; used when describing several shields or several instances of the charge.
"The manuscript illustrated three shields, each bearing bordures of a different tincture."
In medieval arms, a bordure could signal anything from cadency to a mark of illegitimate birth — a whole family story told in a single stripe at the shield's edge.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bordure
The word 'bordure' was borrowed into English from Old French, where it denoted an edging or rim, deriving from 'bord' meaning edge or side, which itself traces back through Vulgar Latin to a Germanic source. It entered English during the Middle Ages alongside the vocabulary of heraldry, when coats of arms became formalized across Europe. Its closest English relative is the common noun 'border', which shares the same Old French root.
How bordure is actually used
A technical term of heraldry, encountered almost exclusively in discussions of coats of arms and genealogy; it is rare in general conversation.
Easily confused with bordure
A border is any general edge or boundary of something, whereas a bordure specifically denotes the heraldic band running around the edge of a coat of arms.