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/, /vɛː/
• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)

Noun

vair (countable and uncountable, plural vairs)

1. (archaic) A type of fur from a squirrel with a black back and white belly, much used on garments in the Middle Ages.
   • 1999, George RR 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: gråverk, gråskinn
• Portuguese: veiro (pt) m
• Russian: бе́личий мех m (béličij mex)
• Spanish: vero (es) m
• Swedish: heraldiskt gråverk (sv) n
• Ukrainian: ви́вірка (uk) f (vývirka)

See also

• ermine
• fur
• potent

Anagrams

• Ravi, Riva, Viar, riva, vari, vira

---

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

Noun

vair m (plural vairs)

1. (heraldry) vair

Further reading

• “vair” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• ravi, riva, vira, vrai

---

Gallo

Etymology

From Old French veeir, veoir, from Latin video, 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

• → Middle English: veir
  • English: vair
• French: vair
• → 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