Word of the Day

: October 2, 2022

emblazon

verb im-BLAY-zun

What It Means

To emblazon something is to decorate its surface, usually with a name, slogan, or picture.

// Her favorite souvenir from her trip to the Grand Canyon was a t-shirt emblazoned with a rosy sunset over the famous chasm.

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emblazon in Context

“In Cod We Trust. It’s a phrase emblazoned above the picture window at OK UK Fish-n-Chips in south Fort Myers, and it symbolizes the restaurant’s laser-like focus on this staple British dish.” — Gina Birch, The News-Press (Fort Myers, Florida), 10 Aug. 2022

Did You Know?

Blazon is a less commonly used synonym of the more familiar coat of arms. Both centuries-old terms refer to heraldic designs, symbols, and other imagery (think crosses, lions, stripes, etc.) that typically appear on banners, shields, armor, and elsewhere. The verb form of blazon meaning “to represent armorial bearings in drawing or engraving” and emblazon, “to inscribe or adorn with or as if with heraldic bearings or devices,” came into use around the same time in the late 1500s. Emblazon still refers to marking something with an emblem of heraldry, but it is now more often used for adorning or publicizing something in any conspicuous way, whether with eye-catching decoration or colorful words of praise.