abased or abaisé used of an ordinary borne below its usual position

abatement one of the nine marks of degradation of coat armour

accollé encircled round the throat (see gorged)

accosted side by side

accrued grown to maturity

achievement a fully marshalled coat of arms

acorned bearing acorns

addorsed placed back to back used especially of wings lying close to a creature's back (see endorsed and indorsed)

affrontée full-faced

Agnus Dei a lamb bearing a cross with a halo round its head

aislé winged

alant or aland a mastiff with short ears

alauda a lark

allerion an eagle without beak or feet

ambulant used of an animal in a walking position (see passant)

amethyst a semi-precious stone, formerly used to express purpure

ancient a small flag on the stern of a ship

ancred or anchored used of cross whose four tips resemble anchor flukes

annulet a ring

antique crown the crown worn by Jewish kings (see eastern crown)

appaumé a hand open with fingers and thumb at full length

argent the metal silver shown as white in heraldic illustration

armed used to describe all birds of prey whose talons and beaks are coloured differently from their bodies, also quadrupeds so variegated

arraché torn from the body with jagged edges erect upright (see erased and razed)

arrondie rounded

assis sitting (see sejant or segeant)

attired applied to the horns of animals of the deer species instead of armed (see horned)

attires the horns of a buck

azure blue