A Coat of Arms Was Worn Over Armour
A coat is an outer garment. The heraldic phrase describes a real garment, not a design on paper.
A coat is an outer garment with sleeves, and also a covering layer such as a coat of paint or an animal's fur. A *coat of arms* is not a metaphor: knights wore a cloth surcoat over their armour, embroidered with their device, because a man in full plate was otherwise unidentifiable. The design took its name from the garment it was painted on. *Cut your coat according to your cloth* means live within your means, recorded from the 1500s.
- An outer garment. *A winter coat.*
- A covering layer. *A coat of paint.*
- An animal's fur. *A glossy coat.*
- Coat of arms. *A coat of arms.*
- Old French — *cote*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | coat | A coat. |
| Plural | coats | Coats. |
| Verb | coat | Coated. |
| Compound | overcoat | An overcoat. |
| Compound | surcoat | A surcoat. |
- Put on your coat before leaving.Clothing.
- The wall needs a second coat.Paint.
- Knights wore arms on a surcoat.History.
Heraldry in everyday English
- Coat of arms — the design worn over armour
- Escutcheon — the shield, hence a blot on the escutcheon
- Emblazon — to display arms, now to display anything boldly
- Bar sinister — a supposed mark of illegitimacy, largely a novelist's invention
- Blazon — to describe arms precisely, hence to proclaim
Old French *cote*, a coat or tunic, of Germanic origin.
Why is it called a coat of arms?
Because the design was embroidered on a surcoat worn over armour, so a knight in full plate could be identified.
What does cut your coat according to your cloth mean?
Live within your means. The phrase is recorded from the 1500s and compares spending to tailoring.