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fess¹ also fesse

(fĕs)

n.
Heraldry

A wide horizontal band forming the middle section of an escutcheon.

[Middle English fesse, from Old French, from Latin fascia, band.]

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fess1

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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