vair

English

Vair

Etymology

From Middle English veir, veire, from Old French vair, veir, from the accusative singular masculine form of Latin varius (“variegated”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /vɛə/
• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)

Noun

vair (countable and uncountable, plural vairs)

1. (archaic) A type of fur from a squirrel with a grey back and white belly, much used on garments in the Middle Ages.
   • 1999, George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam 2011, p. 323:

     Bran wore grey breeches and white doublet, his sleeves and collar trimmed with vair.

2. (heraldry) An heraldic fur formed by a regular tessellation of bell shapes in two colours, (for example in the image, blue and white).

Related terms

• countervair
• vairy
• varriated

Translations

heraldic fur

• Catalan: vaire (ca) m
• Czech: popelčina f
• Dutch: vaar (nl) m, vair (nl) n
• Esperanto: vajro
• Finnish: oravannahka (fi)
• French: vair (fr) m
• German: Feh (de) n
• Hungarian: evet (hu)
• Irish: véir f
• Italian: vaio (it) m
• Japanese: ヴェア (vuea)
• Macedonian: верве́рица f (vervérica)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gråverk n, gråskinn n

  Nynorsk: gråverk n, gråskinn n

• Portuguese: veiro (pt) m
• Russian: бе́личий мех m (béličij mex)
• Spanish: vero (es) m
• Swedish: gråverk (sv) n
• Ukrainian: ви́вірка (uk) f (vývirka)

See also

• ermine
• fur
• potent

Anagrams

• Ravi, Riva, Viar, riva, vari, vira

Catalan

Alternative forms

• vaire

Etymology

From Latin varius.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /vəˈi/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /bəˈi/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /vaˈiɾ/

Adjective

vair (feminine vaira, masculine plural vairs, feminine plural vaires)

1. (archaic) varied
2. variegated, multicolored

Related terms

• gatvaire

Noun

vair m (plural vairs)

1. (historical) vair (black-and-white variegated squirrel fur)
2. (heraldry) vair

Further reading

• “vair” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Dutch

Etymology

From Old French vair, veir, from the accusative singular masculine form of Latin varius (“variegated”).

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

vair n (uncountable)

1. (heraldry) vair (fur used in heraldry)

French

Etymology

From Old French vair, veir, from the accusative singular masculine form of Latin varius.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɛʁ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophones: vaire, vaires, vairs, ver, vers, vert, verts, verre, verres
• Rhymes: -ɛʁ

Noun

vair m (plural vairs)

1. (heraldry) vair

Further reading

• “vair”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• ravi, riva, vira, vrai

Gallo

Etymology

From Old French veeir, veoir, from Latin videō, vidēre, cognate with French voir.

Verb

vair

1. To see

   Disez-mai don, v'ez-ti pas veü un jiene là tout à l'oure ?

   Please tell me, have you seen a young man there few minutes ago ?

Middle English

Noun

vair

1. Alternative form of veir

Old French

Etymology

From the accusative singular masculine form of Latin varius.

Adjective

vair m (oblique and nominative feminine singular vaire)

1. changeable; that may change
2. multi-colored; polychromatic
3. shining; brilliant

Declension

Declension of vair

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	vairs	vaire	vair
	Oblique	vair			vaire	vair
Plural	Subject	vair	vaires		vair
	Oblique	vairs			vaires	vair

Noun

vair m (oblique plural vairs, nominative singular vairs, nominative plural vair)

1. vair (fur of a squirrel)

Descendants

• French: vair
• → Middle English: veir, feir, vair, vaire, veire, ver, voir, ware
  • English: vair
  • Scots: vair (obsolete)
  • Yola: vier, wyer, vierd
• → Irish: véir

Romansch

Alternative forms

• (Rumantsch Grischun) vesair
• (Sursilvan) veser
• (Sutsilvan) vaser
• (Surmiran) veir
• (Puter) vzair
• (Vallader) verer

Etymology

From Latin videō, vidēre.

Verb

vair

1. (Puter) to look
2. (Puter) to see