vair

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vair

 (vâr)
n.
1. A fur, probably squirrel, much used in medieval times to line and trim robes.
2. Heraldry A representation of fur.

[Middle English, from Old French, variegated, vair, from Latin varius, variegated.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

vair

(vɛə)
n
1. (Textiles) a fur, probably Russian squirrel, used to trim robes in the Middle Ages
2. (Historical Terms) a fur, probably Russian squirrel, used to trim robes in the Middle Ages
3. (Heraldry) one of the two principal furs used on heraldic shields, conventionally represented by white and blue skins in alternate lines. Compare ermine3
[C13: from Old French: of more than one colour, from Latin varius variegated, various]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

vair

(vɛər)

n.
a fur much used for lining and trimming garments in the 13th and 14th centuries, generally assumed to have been that of a variety of squirrel with a gray back and white belly. Compare miniver.
[1250–1300; < Old French < Latin varium something particolored; see various]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Look, there is no giant, nor knight, nor cats, nor arms, nor shields quartered or whole, nor vair azure or bedevilled.
It was so stormy dat I couldn't go den, so I start vair early dis mornin'.
No vair or ermine decked this garment; but in respect of his age, the Grand Master, as permitted by the rules, wore his doublet lined and trimmed with the softest lambskin, dressed with the wool outwards, which was the nearest approach he could regularly make to the use of fur, then the greatest luxury of dress.