escutcheon
es·cut·cheon/ɪˈskʌt͡ʃən/noun
escutcheon is spelled E-S-C-U-T-C-H-E-O-N: 10 letters and 3 syllables (es·cut·cheon). It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 85,266th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, escutcheon means “The shield on which a coat of arms is displayed, or, by extension, the coat of arms itself” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of escutcheon is escutcheons.
How many letters and syllables are in escutcheon?
| Letters | 10: E-S-C-U-T-C-H-E-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: es·cut·cheon |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 85,266th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is escutcheon?
Escutcheon appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 85,266th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce escutcheon?
- /ɪˈskʌt͡ʃən/
Escutcheon has 3 syllables, split es·cut·cheon in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-escutcheon.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of escutcheon
- escutcheons plural
- scutcheon
- 'scutcheon
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does escutcheon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The shield on which a coat of arms is displayed, or, by extension, the coat of arms itself.
Meronyms: field, charge, emblem
- 2
A small shield used to charge a larger one.
- 3
The pattern of distribution of hair upon the pubic mound.
The hair becomes darker and coarser during pubic hair stage 3, spreading over the pubic symphysis with gradual progression to a full female escutcheon.
- 4
A marking upon the back of a cow's udder and the space above it (the perineum), formed by the hair growing upward or outward instead of downward. It was once taken as an index of milking qualities.
- 5
The part of a ship's stern where its name is displayed.
- 6
A decorative or protective plate or bezel designed to fill the gap between a switch, pipe, valve, control knob, etc., and the surface from which it protrudes.
- 7
The insignia around a doorknob's exterior hardware or a door lock's cosmetic plate.
- 8
The depression behind the beak of certain bivalves; the ligamental area.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Escutcheon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | écusson |
| German | Wappenschild |
| Portuguese | escudo , escudete |
| Spanish | blasón, escudo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does escutcheon come from?
From Middle English scochon, from Anglo-Norman escuchon, Old French escusson (French écusson), ultimately from Latin scutum (“shield”). Related to scutum, scute, scudo, escudo, and écu.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).