Pronounced: BOB-uh-ree, noun
Notes: I’ve not run across this word
Yesterday’s word
The word escutcheon is
- a shield or shieldlike surface on which a coat of arms is depicted
- an ornamental or protective plate around a keyhole, door handle, light switch, etc
- (nautical) a panel on the stern of a vessel bearing its name and port of registry
First usage
Our word came into English in the late 1400s
Background / Comments
Our word came from the Old North French word escuchon, which came from the Latin word scūtum (shield). I mentioned yesterday that this word was slightly familiar; while I was researching information about our word, I found a phrase “blot one’s escutcheon” (a stain on one’s reputation; disgrace), which I’m pretty sure I’ve read somewhere, which is probably why the word was familiar.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 