blazon

1 of 2

noun

bla·​zon ˈblā-zᵊn How to pronounce blazon (audio)
1
a
: armorial bearings : coat of arms
b
: the proper description or representation of heraldic or armorial bearings
2
: ostentatious display

blazon

2 of 2

verb

blazoned; blazoning
ˈblāz-niŋ,
ˈblā-zᵊn-iŋ How to pronounce blazon (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to publish widely : proclaim
2
a
: to describe (heraldic or armorial bearings) in technical terms
b
: to represent (armorial bearings) in drawing or engraving
3
a
b
: deck, adorn
the town was blazoned with flags
blazoner
ˈblāz-nər
ˈblā-zᵊn-ər How to pronounce blazon (audio)
noun
blazoning noun

Examples of blazon in a Sentence

Verb their very public canoodling has pretty much blazoned the fact that they are having an affair the city's waterfront has been blazoned with banners celebrating the festival of tall ships
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
The Fall Guy blazons the insipid content that the movie industry never tires of selling us. Armond White, National Review, 3 May 2024 The new design hews to the existing skyline but pulls away from the street, ceding primacy to the original and treating the bell tower as its prominent blazon. Curbed, 18 July 2022 The Android-only app with the blazon of the French republic will be the only way for residents to create a legal digital ID and facial recognition will be its sole enabler. BostonGlobe.com, 7 Oct. 2019
Verb
Where once the necktie blazoned out a specific identity from the general background of tailored gray, now everything counts. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 6 July 2024 Instead, the 1928 Banana Massacre that blazoned headlines in its day became buried in history, kept alive by a few Colombian journalists who wrote accounts of it, as well as stories passed down locally generation to generation. Jack Werner / Made By History, TIME, 18 June 2024 Before booking tours and excursions, some reef advocates recommend seeking out businesses blazoned with EarthCheck or EcoTourism Australia certifications, which identifies outfitters and accommodations that have made efforts toward sustainability. Tree Meinch, Discover Magazine, 15 Feb. 2023 There were lines at The Washington Post’s downtown office Thursday as fans sought to buy a copy of the day’s paper celebrating the win and a 12-page commemorative edition with a single-word headline blazoned across the top of the front page: CHAMPS! Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2019 There were Disney characters blazoned on the curtains, the soap, the armoire. James Marcus, The New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2019 The far-right white nationalist Identitarian movement’s symbol, blazoned in gold against a black background, is the circle of an aspis, the round shield that was a Spartan warrior’s principal piece of equipment. Myke Cole, The New Republic, 1 Aug. 2019 The packaging—blazoned in #millennialpink with a fashion illo of lashes or lips—admittedly speaks to a slightly younger demo (as do the $10.50 glitter pots). Lindsay Schallon, Glamour, 5 Sep. 2017 Already in 1492, when Christopher Columbus embarked for the Indies, the German mariner and cosmographer Georg Martin Behaim had blazoned an animal that might be a polar bear near the North Pole of his 1492 Erdapfel (Earth Apple) globe. Michael Engelhard, Smithsonian, 31 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English blason, from Anglo-French

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blazon was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near blazon

Cite this Entry

“Blazon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blazon. Accessed 9 Nov. 2024.

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