What does regardant mean?
Regardant is a rare adjective used especially in heraldry to describe an animal whose head is turned backward. Its use gives a precise visual instruction to an artist or reader by indicating that the creature is looking behind itself while its body remains in its principal position. The word most often occurs in phrases such as "lion regardant," describing the familiar heraldic lion with its head turned over its shoulder. It belongs to the technical vocabulary of armorial design, where posture is significant: a beast may face forward, look backward, rise, climb, or lie down, and each position can carry distinct symbolic associations. Because the term is narrowly specialized, modern speakers are unlikely to encounter it outside heraldry, museum catalogues, or descriptions of coats of arms. Nevertheless, it is useful as an exact word for a conspicuous visual convention in that tradition.
adjectiveLooking backward, especially of an animal depicted in heraldry with its head turned behind it.
- Looking backward, especially of an animal depicted in heraldry with its head turned behind it.
"The shield bears a silver lion regardant upon a field of red."
"A crowned leopard is shown regardant, looking back over its shoulder."
"The heraldist described the creature as a stag regardant rather than a stag statant."
In heraldry, a beast can be given a backward glance: it is called a "regardant."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does regardant come from?
The word was borrowed into English from French heraldic usage, where it denotes a figure looking backward. French regarder ultimately derives from Old French reguarder, formed from the Latin elements re- and guardare, related to keeping watch or guarding. English words such as regard, regardful, and guardian preserve cognates associated with the same historical root.
How regardant is actually used
This is a specialized heraldic term and is rarely used in ordinary English. It is chiefly found in formal descriptions of the posture of animals on coats of arms.