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Ermine

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, a white fur pattern with black-tipped tails, symbolizing purity and dignity, often used in noble coats of arms.

Detailed Definition
Ermine symbolizes purity and dignity, historically denoting royalty and high rank. In poetry, it conveys nobility, luxury, and moral purity, enriching regal or spiritual imagery.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ermine spots like stars on a winter field marked purity in adversity; “Cloaked in ermine,” the queen’s virtue shone against the court’s corruption; The poet likened his conscience to ermine—stained by one fault, ruined; Ermine borders on the escutcheon whispered of nobility earned through trial.
Additional Notes
Ermine is a fur tincture represented by a white field with black "spots" (actually the tails of stoats); it symbolizes purity, dignity, and judicial office; in poetry, ermine evokes winter, nobility, or incorruptibility; note that "ermine spots" are always black on white, while "erminois" reverses this (gold with black spots).
Also Known As
Ermined (as a field description) stoat
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