Variations of ordinaries

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In heraldry, in addition to the variations of the line that can be applied to both ordinaries and the field, there are some variations of ordinaries that can only be applied to them.

The arms of Champagne show cotices "potented and counter potented," while the cotises of Timothy Hugh Stewart Duke have "upper edges in the form of the upper rim of a ducal coronet."

The Armorial de Gelre shows Bernard v.d. Wilten as bearing a "fasce palissée" (similar to a fess embattled with long merlons and the ends rounded).

South African President Frederick de Klerk's arms contain a fess the upper edge per chevron embowed and the lower edge embowed.[1]

The arms of the 89th Cavalry Regiment show an elongated inverted pile.[2]

An ordinary which appears to have a circular form in the middle is described as nowy, while an ordinary appearing to have a square form is called quadrate; these can only be applied to certain ordinaries, including the cross, the pale, and the fess, but not, for example, a bordure, or chevron. The saltire quadrate has the square form arraswise, or turned on its point.

An ordinary (often a cross) can be facetted.[3]

The term embowed is almost invariably applied to the chevron; this means that the upper two lines defining the chevron are concave, and the bottom two lines follow in parallel.

An ordinary rompu is "broken" in some way, though the form of the breaking may vary considerably and often must be further described to avoid confusion. An example is the chevronels rompu in the arms of Danzé, Loir et Cher, France. A bend rompu arraswise of an unusual form can be found in the arms of the 99th Air Base Wing of the United States Air Force.[4] "Rompu" should be distinguished from "fracted". The arms of the Roossenekal Local Area Committee are Per chevron Gules and Azure, a chevron fracted and embattled to chief Or, between in chief a rose Argent, barbed and seeded, and in base a cross fleuretty, Or.[5] The form of the "fracting" can be specified.[6]

An ordinary affaissée, in French heraldry, is wavy in the form of a depression in its middle.

The chevron écimé has the top "blunted"; i.e. squared off rather than meeting in a point, but in English the description couped in chief is more often used. The chevron disjointed or disjoined has the central, pointed portion missing.[7] The chevron éclaté has each end with roughly-made points or spikes on it.[8]

When an ordinary is shown higher than what would be its regular position in the field, it is called enhanced. When depicted lower, it is described as debased or abased. These are to be distinguished from ordinaries in chief (in the chief of the field) or in base.