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Proper

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, depicted in naturalistic colors rather than conventional symbolic tinctures, often used in poetic descriptions of emblems.

Detailed Definition
Proper indicates that an element appears in its natural colors, emphasizing realism. In poetry, it enhances grounding in reality, authenticity, or naturalism within symbolic imagery.
Example
Example in poetry:
The eagle displayed proper, feathers brown and beak gold, honored nature’s truth; “Proper colors,” the pastoral poem insisted on authenticity over artifice; The poet described the rose proper—red petals, green leaves—as love in its true form; In arms, “proper” reminds poets that realism can coexist with symbolism; The horse courant proper, dun with black mane, galloped through the verse with lifelike grace.
Additional Notes
Proper means depicted in natural colors, regardless of the rule of tincture (e.g., “a rose proper” is red with green barbs and yellow seeds); it grants artistic freedom; in poetry, “proper” charges ground symbolic arms in realism—e.g., a “hart proper” brings the wild stag into vivid focus; however, overuse can clutter blazon, so it’s reserved for recognizable natural forms.
Also Known As
Natural colours In its proper colour Guid meet
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