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Base

Heraldic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

In heraldry, the "base" refers to the lower third or bottom portion of a shield, often bearing specific charges or tinctures.

Explore this topic in depth (1)

How to Scan a Poem — Scansion is the practice of listening closely to a poem’s rhythm and marking its pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. It is not a way of forcing every line into a formula, but a method for hearing how regularity, variation and natural speech work together.

Detailed Definition
Base is the lower section of a heraldic shield. Poets may use 'base' metaphorically to represent foundations, origins, or humility, grounding imagery in ideas of support or origin.
Example
Example in poetry:
In base, a serpent coiled, symbol of wisdom hidden beneath glory; The poet placed his hope “in base,” where roots of virtue feed the tree of honor; Upon the shield’s base, waves argent suggested origins in the sea of time; “From base to chief,” the ode traced the soul’s ascent from humility to grace.
Additional Notes
Base refers to the bottom third of the shield; charges "in base" rest near the bottom edge; in poetic symbolism, the base can represent foundation, humility, or earthly matters, contrasting with "chief" (top); understanding spatial divisions like base, fess point, and chief is essential for interpreting heraldic narratives in literature.
Also Known As
Foot plinth Foundation
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