Orle
/ɔːl/noun
A narrow band or border, especially one surrounding a shield in heraldry.
Did you know?In heraldry, an orle is a border placed inside the shield’s edge, visually framing the symbol-bearing space without touching the rim.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ōs- / *or-
“Mouth, opening, or edge—a boundary where something emerges or begins”
Classical Latin
Latin
ora
“Edge, border, margin, or coastline”
12th–13th Century
Old French
orle
“Edge, border, hem, or ornamental rim”
13th–14th Century
Anglo-Norman French
orle
“A border or band used in heraldic description”
Middle English
English
orle
“A narrow border or fillet around a shield”
Modern English
English
orle
“A heraldic border inside the edge of a shield, or any narrow ornamental border”