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{{short description|Metal (tincture of gold) in heraldry}}

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|hex = FFFF00|tricking = o., or.|gemstone = Topaz|planet = Sun|virtue = Faith; obedience, and gentility}}In heraldry, or (/ɔːʁ/; French for “gold“) is the tincture of gold and, together with argent (silver), belongs to the class of light tinctures called “metals”. In engravings and line drawings, it is hatched using a field of evenly spaced dots. It is very frequently depicted as yellow, though gold leaf was used in many illuminated manuscripts and more extravagant rolls of arms.The word “gold” is occasionally used in place of “or” in blazon, sometimes to prevent repetition of the word “or” in a blazon, or because this substitution was in fashion when the blazon was first written down, or when it is preferred by the officer of arms.BOOK, Thomas, Woodcock, Thomas Woodcock (officer of arms), John Martin, Robinson, John Martin Robinson, The Oxford Guide to Heraldry, Oxford, 1988, Oxford University Press, 0-19-211658-4, 54, The use of “gold” for “or” (and “silver” for “argent“) was a short-lived fashion amongst certain heraldic writers in the mid-20th century who attempted to “demystify” and popularise the subject of heraldry.“Or” is sometimes spelled with a capital letter (e.g. “Gules, a fess Or“) so as not to confuse it with the conjunction “or”.See (Pseudopedia:Blazon#Capitalization|Blazon: Capitalization) However, this incorrect heraldic usage is not met with in standard reference works such as Bernard Burke’s General Armory, 1884 and Debrett’s Peerage. Fox-Davies advocated leaving all tinctures uncapitalized. A correctly stated blazon should eliminate any possible confusion between the tincture or and the conjunction “or” (which is rare in blazons in any case), certainly for the reader with a basic competence in heraldry. Or plain are the arms of Spanish family de Menezes.WEB,www.heraldrysinstitute.com/lang/en/cognomi/Meneses/idc/612830/, Meneses family heraldry genealogy Coat of arms Meneses,

Poetic meanings

The different tinctures are sometimes said to be associated with special meanings and virtues, and with certain elements and precious stones, although these associations have been mostly disregarded by serious heraldists.BOOK, Thomas, Woodcock, Thomas Woodcock (officer of arms), John Martin, Robinson, John Martin Robinson, The Oxford Guide to Heraldry, Oxford, 1988, Oxford University Press, 0-19-211658-4, 53, Sources vary, but or is usually said to represent the following:

• Of jewels, the topazBOOK, Elvin, Charles Norton, London, Kent, 1889, A Dictionary of Heraldry,archive.org/details/cu31924029796426, 124,
• Of heavenly bodies, the SunElvin (1889), p. 117.
• Of metals, gold
• Of virtues, faithSee the table in Woodcock & Robinson (1988), p. 54, compiled from G. Leigh’s Accedence of Armory (1562) and Sir John Ferne’s The Glory of Generositie (1586). or obedience and gentilityWoodcock & Robinson (1988), p. 54, attributed to Johannes de Bado Aureo.

Gallery

File:Blason fam fr Gervais.svg|Arms of Gervais family, FranceFile:Blason fam fr Chemillé3.svg|Arms of Chemillé, FranceFile:Aurskog-Høland komm.svg|Coat of arms for the municipality of Aurskog-Høland (kommune), Norway, “Or, a lobster haurient sable“File:Blason ville fr Chantemerle-les-Blés (Drôme).svg|Arms of Chantemerle-les-Blés, FranceFile:Blason département fr Puy-de-Dôme.svg|Arms of Puy-de-Dôme, France

See also

{{wiktionary|or}}

• Gold (color)
• Old Gold

References

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Further reading

• Woodcock, Thomas and John Martin Robinson (1988). The Oxford Guide to Heraldry. Oxford: University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-211658-4}}

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