hatchment

[ hach-muh nt ]

/ ˈhætʃ mənt /

a square tablet, set diagonally, bearing the coat of arms of a deceased person.

Origin of hatchment

First recorded in 1540–50; variant (by syncopation and aspiration) of achievement

For hatchment we find in the 16th century achement, and even achievement.

The Romance of Words (4th ed.) |Ernest Weekley
The cessation of the ceremonial funeral, no doubt, led to the cult of the hatchment.

A Complete Guide to Heraldry |Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
It may be questioned if a hatchment is now hung up, either on the dwelling, or in a church, in any part of America.

Satanstoe |James Fenimore Cooper
There is the inverted triangular plan, and the shield or hatchment form.

Of the Decorative Illustration of Books Old and New |Walter Crane

An earl's coronet now figured on the hatchment which hung over Castlewood gate—and there was an end of the jolly gentleman.

The Virginians |William Makepeace Thackeray

hatchment

/ (ˈhætʃmənt) /

heraldry a diamond-shaped tablet displaying the coat of arms of a dead person Also called: achievement

C16: changed from achievement