roundel

1 English form of rondeau having three triplets with a refrain after the first and third

2 round piece of armor plate that protects the armpit

3 a charge in the shape of a circle; a hollow roundel [syn: annulet]

English

Etymology

From rondelet (diminutif of rondel, French: rondelle)

Noun

1. Anything having a round form; a round figure; a circle.
2. A rondelay.

   Quotations

   • 1595: Come, now a roundel and a fairy song ... Fairies sing. — William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, Scene II, line 1.
   • ????: Sung all the roundel lustily. — Chaucer?

3. (Armor) A small circular shield, sometimes not more than a foot in diameter, used by soldiers in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

   Quotations

   • 1786: The roundel or rondache derived its name from its circular figure, it was made of oziers boards of light wood, sinews or ropes, covered with leather, plates of metal, or stuck full of nails in concentric circles or other figures. — Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 26.

4. : A circular spot; a charge in the form of a small coloured circle.
5. (Fortification) A bastion of a circular form.
6. (aircraft) a circular insignia painted on an aircraft to identify its nationality or service.

Translations

• French: cocarde (4)

A roundel in heraldry is any circular shape; in military use it is an emblem of nationality employed on military aircraft and air force flags, generally round and consisting of concentric rings of different colors.

Heraldry

In heraldry, a roundel is a circular charge. Roundels are among the oldest charges used in coats of arms, dating from at least the twelfth century. Roundels in British heraldry have different names depending on their tincture. Thus, while a roundel may be blazoned by its tincture, e.g., a roundel vert (literally "a roundel green"), it is more often described by a single word, in this case pomme (literally "apple", from the French).

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