keythong

Examples of keythong in a sentence

• The Earl of Ormonde,—a pair of keythongs. (?) * […] * The word is certainly so written, and I have never seen it elsewhere.1852, J[ames] R[obinson] Planché, “Badges”, in The Pursuivant of Arms, or Heraldry Founded upon Facts, London: W. N. Wright, […], page 183:
• Infrequently, a griffin is portrayed without wings; in 15th-century and later heraldry such a beast may be called an ‘alce’ or a ‘keythong.’[2001, Osita Iroku, A Day in the Life of God, →ISBN, page 85:
• Griffin, griffon, gryphon, alce, keythong, gryphen, griffen, gryphen, and opinicus…[2009, Benjamin Towe, The First Wandmaker (Elfdreams of Parallan; II), Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 20:
• Male griffins do NOT have wings and are termed “alces” or “keythongs.”[2009 June, The Celator, volume 23, number 6:

Synonyms of keythong

• alce

Forms of keythong

Origin of keythong

Unclear. From Middle English keythong: attested in one medieval document describing Edward IV’s French Expedition of 1475, which records that the badge of John Butler, 6th Earl of Ormond, featured a "peyr [pair] keythongs". Later writers including Colin Cole (The Coat of Arms 98, 1976) argued this denoted "male griffins" and that these were definitely separate monsters from "griffins" in the medieval period (although both the animals termed male griffins and those termed griffins are depicted with penises in medieval art), while Roger Barnes argues it referred to the two interlinked thongs of an Ormond knot.

Questions about keythong

What does keythong mean?

Keythong means a mythical beast resembling a griffin with no wings, often classified as a male griffin.

How do you use keythong in a sentence?

The Earl of Ormonde,—a pair of keythongs. (?) * […] * The word is certainly so written, and I have never seen it elsewhere.

What part of speech is keythong?

Keythong is a noun.

What is the plural of keythong?

The plural of keythong is keythongs.