Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Oriented back-to-back, as of two animals or objects.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • See adorsed.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective (Her.) Set or turned back to back.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective heraldry, of animals set back to back

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[ad– + Latin dorsum, back + –ed, on the model of French adossé, back-to-back, from past participle of adosser, to lean against, place back-to-back, from Old French : a-, to, towards (from Latin ad-) + dos, back (from Latin dorsum).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin ad + dorsum, "back": compare French adossé.

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Examples

  • Pairs of seated animals, _addorsed regardant_ and geese

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" Various

  • -- Piece of stuff woven or brocaded with red silk and gold thread, with an ogival framing enclosing alternately, pairs of parrots, _addorsed regardant_, and a well-known Persian (or Sassanian) leaf-shaped fruit device.

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" Various

  • A Seal of Prince JOHN OF GHENT, which has two falcons and padlocks, is one of the most beautiful and suggestive works of its class: in this Seal the two birds are addorsed, and consequently they also have their backs turned towards the central achievement.

    The Handbook to English Heraldry Charles Boutell 1844

  • Valence_ appears dimidiating the French Coat of _Claremont Nesle_ -- _gu., semée of trefoils, two barbels haurient addorsed or_: the Dimidiation here cuts off and removes one-half of the De Valence martlets and also one of the two barbels of Claremont.

    The Handbook to English Heraldry Charles Boutell 1844

  • But when they were come within half a bow-shot, and Osberne could see the banner that it bore two silver Fish addorsed on a blue ground, a herald pricked forth from the castle-folk, and when he drew nigh to Sir Godrick and his he said: "If I knew which were the captain of the riders I would give him the greeting of my lord, Sir Raynold

    The Sundering Flood William Morris 1865

Comments

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  • Set back-to-back, especially as in heraldry. The opposite, as when figures face each other, is called "confronting". (From ArtLex)

    June 4, 2008