ABATEMENT

Abatement

An abatement is a modification of a coat of arms, representing a less-than honorable augmentation, imposed by an heraldic authority or by royal decree for misconduct. The practice of inverting the entire escutcheon of an armiger found guilty of high treason has been attested since the Middle Ages and is generally accepted as reliable, and medieval heraldic sources cite at least one instance of removing an honourable charge from a coat of arms by royal decree as an abatement of honour. Other abatements of honour implied by the addition of dishonourable stainand charges, appearing in late 16th-century texts, have never been reliably attested in actual ...

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abatement

Noun

  1. The act of abating, or the state of being abated; a lessening, diminution, or reduction; a moderation; removal or putting an end to; the suppression of. <ref name=CH/>
    the abatement of a nuisance is the suppression thereof.
  2. The amount abated; that which is taken away by way of reduction; deduction; decrease; a rebate or discount allowed; in particular from a tax. <ref name=SOED/>
  3. A mark of dishonor on an escutcheon; any figure added to the coat of arms tending to lower the dignity or station of the bearer.<ref name =WI3/><ref name=SOED/>

Noun (etymology 2)

  1. The action of a person that abates, or without proper authority enters a residence after the death of the owner and before the heir takes possession.<ref name=WI3/>
  2. The reduction of the proceeds of a will, when the debts have not yet been satisfied; the reduction of taxes due.<ref name=SOED/>


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: abatement
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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