We'd like to use analytics cookies to understand which symbols people look up, so we know what to research next. They are not used for advertising and we set none of them unless you say yes. What we store.
The lower portion of a heraldic shield, and a band occupying it.
Also known as: In base
The foot of the shield. Used both as a positional term — a charge 'in base' sits low on the shield — and, less often than the chief, as an ordinary in its own right.
Denotes the lower part of the shield. A charge blazoned 'in base' is placed there.
Used as an ordinary far less often than the chief, and English blazon has no single settled name for the band itself — 'base' more usually describes position than a charge.
The asymmetry with the chief is a quirk of English blazon rather than a rule with a stated reason.
The lower portion of a shield, or a horizontal band across its foot.
The base occupies the bottom of the shield, the chief the top.