Diminutives (Armory)

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Glossary of Terms:

(1) In names, a name that is derived from another name as a shortened or pet form. Belet//, //Bibby//, //Ibbe//, //Ibbet//, //Libbe//, and //Tibota// were all period diminutives of //Isabel//. Some diminutives are actually longer than the original name. For example //Jobin// is a period diminutive of //Job// and //Josekyn// a period diminutive of //Joss. [see Diminutive Names]

(2) In armory, multiple and (usually) narrower variants of an ordinary are said to be diminutives of it. For example, two bars// are diminutives of a //fess//, and //two bendlets// are diminutives of a //bend. SCA armory does not use single diminutives of charges, as they were considered artistic variants of the single ordinary in period. [[1]]

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Precedents:

Precedents of the SCA College of Arms - [[2]] Morsulus Heralds Website - [[3]] (to search the LoARs and Precedents) Restatement Wiki - [[4]] (restatements of Precedents) Use the above links to be sure any precedents listed below haven't been superseded by newer precedents.

From June 2005 LoAR: Emma Barfoot. Device. Sable, a foot couped and in chief a bar argent. "The submitter requested that the fess be blazoned as a bar as a cant on her name. Single diminutives of ordinaries aren't normally blazoned as such. Only if there are multiple diminutives (e.g. three bendlets//) or if the charge is otherwise reduced in importance (e.g. //a bendlet enhanced//) would the diminutive term be used. Because of the cant -- and the enhanced nature of the fess -- we have blazoned it as a //bar." Note that this was registered as a diminutive name only because of the cant on "bar foot". Otherwise it would have been registered as a fess. [2005 LoAR]

From September 1997 LoAR: "This is being returned for a redraw. We don't register single diminutives of ordinaries, and this is far too narrow to be a bend."[1997 LoAR]

From the September 1994 LoAR: "However, in this case, the bend is, in fact, drawn unacceptably narrow (indeed, I suspect modern heralds would blazon it as a "ribband" or some such; it is certainly narrower than a bendlet. It needs to be redrawn thicker)." The device was returned.[1994 LoAR]

From the June 1990 LoAR: "there is no difference between an ordinary and its diminutive" [1990 LoAR]

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Heraldry Primer

Diminutives - http:heraldry.sca.org/primer/variants.html#diminutive (now defunct)

Diminutives are thinner, smaller versions of the ordinaries. Diminutives are not registered in SCA heraldry. However, their usage is common enough in mundane heraldry to warrant mention here. The bar is a diminutive of the fess, in that the bar is a narrower version of the fess. || Sable, a fess argent. File:Http:www.sofyalarus.info/heraldicart/HeraldicPrimer/afess.gif || Sable, a //bar argent. File:Http://www.sofyalarus.info/heraldicart/HeraldicPrimer/abar.gif || Other ordinaries have their own diminutives: || || |||| The diminutive of a pale is a palet//. |||| The diminutive of a bend is a //bendlet. || || Sable, a pale argent. File:Http:www.sofyalarus.info/heraldicart/HeraldicPrimer/apale.gif || Sable, a //palet argent. File:Http:www.sofyalarus.info/heraldicart/HeraldicPrimer/apalet.gif || Sable, a //bend argent. File:Http:www.sofyalarus.info/heraldicart/HeraldicPrimer/abend.gif || Sable, a //bendlet argent. File:Http://www.sofyalarus.info/heraldicart/HeraldicPrimer/abendlet.gif || || || |||| The diminutive of a bend sinister is a scarpe//. |||| The diminutive of an orle is a //tressure. || || Sable, a bend sinister argent. File:Http:www.sofyalarus.info/heraldicart/HeraldicPrimer/abendsinister.gif || Sable, a //scarpe argent. File:Http:www.sofyalarus.info/heraldicart/HeraldicPrimer/ascarpe.gif || Sable, an //orle argent. File:Http:www.sofyalarus.info/heraldicart/HeraldicPrimer/anorle.gif || Sable, a //tressure argent. File:Http://www.sofyalarus.info/heraldicart/HeraldicPrimer/atressure.gif ||