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Membered

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, describes an animal whose limbs—such as claws, hooves, or paws—are distinctly visible and often colored differently.

Detailed Definition
Membered indicates the limbs of beasts highlighted in a different color, signifying power or aggression. In poetry, it underlines strength, action, or striking prowess.
Example
Example in poetry:
The eagle, membered gules, showed its power in every claw and limb; “Membered with resolve,” the panegyric described the hero’s every action as purposeful; The poet noted the lion’s membered paws as instruments of both destruction and protection; In blazon, “membered” specified the color of limbs, adding precision to poetic imagery; The griffin, membered and armed alike, embodied complete martial readiness.
Additional Notes
Membered refers to the limbs of an animal or bird being of a specified tincture different from the body (e.g., “an eagle sable membered or”); it is often used alongside “armed” and “langued” for precision; in poetic blazon, specifying members adds vividness and symbolic contrast—golden limbs on a dark body may imply divine grace amid adversity.
Also Known As
Limbed Jointed
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