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vair

Apparel
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

A soft, patterned fur, traditionally made from the winter pelts of squirrels or similar animals.

Detailed Definition
Vair was a luxurious medieval fur used in clothing, heraldry, and ceremonial decoration. In the poem, it helps furnish the richly decorated dais prepared for the speaker’s beloved.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Hang it with vair and purple dyes” (Morris); A mantle of vair flashed blue-gray in torchlight; Medieval heraldry paired vair with rich colors and rank; “Vair” is a fur made from squirrel pelts, often shown as a blue-and-white heraldic pattern; Its rare diction can lend a poem courtly or medieval atmosphere
Additional Notes
The quoted word “vair” is an obsolete luxury-fur term that many modern readers will not recognize.; Found in the poem, A Birthday by Christina Rossetti
Also Known As
fur pelage cloak of many colors
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