bend sinister
noun Heraldry.
a diagonal band extending from the sinister chief of an escutcheon to the dexter base: a supposed mark of bastardy.
Origin of bend sinister
First recorded in 1615–25
Words nearby bend sinister
benchy,
bend,
bend dexter,
bend one's elbow,
bend over backwards,
bend sinister,
bend someone's ear,
benda,
bendectin,
bended,
bender
Example sentences from the Web for bend sinister
Baton-sinister, a bend-sinister like a marshal's baton, an indication of illegitimacy.
The Nuttall Encyclopaedia |Edited by Rev. James WoodHis proud crest and armorial bearings support him: no bend-sinister slurs his poetical escutcheon!
Table-Talk |William Hazlitt
British Dictionary definitions for bend sinister
bend sinister
noun
heraldry
a diagonal line bisecting a shield from the top right to the bottom left, typically indicating a bastard line