ARMS, COAT OF

also called Shield Of Arms, heraldic device dating back to 12th-century Europe, used primarily to establish identity in battle but evolving to denote family descent, adoption, alliance, property ownership, or professionthe oldest extant document being a copy of a roll of arms of the king of England from about 1240. The coat of arms consists of a shield, or escutcheon, and surface, or field. It is divided into nine parts (called points) in order to properly position bearings. It is further divided into chief and base, or top and bottom, and it is often ornamented with helmet, mantling, wreath, crest, badge, motto, supporters, crown, or coronet. The left, or sinister, side is to the observer's right; the right, or dexter, side to the left; and the entire display is designated the achievement. At first simply assumed, the coat of arms was later given under royal grant, the College of Arms being established in London in 1484 by England's King Richard III. Originally the coat of arms was a cloth tunic worn over, or occasionally to conceal, armour; or, in place of armour, it was padded and worn for protection but marked with the shield's identical emblem to aid identification. Just as shields themselves were artistically embellished to record personal or family themes or history, so too were they chosen as emblems for organizations far removed from war e.g., schools, universities, guilds, churches, fraternal societies, and even modern corporationsto reflect their mottoes or histories. Closely related to the science of heraldry and the study of genealogy, coat-of-arms design reflects historical tradition, relying on established patterns, positioning, symbols, and colours, often called tinctures: gold or yellow (or), white or silver (argent), blue (azure), green (vert), red (gules), purple (purpure), and black (sable). See also heraldry.