engRailled

Engrailled is a heraldic term used to describe a line or edge that is indented by a regular series of concave curves, creating a jagged, tooth-like outline. The standard spelling in modern usage is engrailed, while engRailled or engrailled appears as variant spellings found in older texts or less formal contexts. When a device or field is described as having an engrailed border or an engrailed line (for example, a bend engrailed), the blazon indicates that the edge follows this pattern along its length.

In practice, an engrailed edge consists of small, rounded indentations pointing toward the interior of the shield or field. This pattern is distinct from other serrated or jagged edges such as dancetty, which features longer, v-shaped teeth, or from simple indented lines that may have shallower or differently spaced notches. Engrailed edges are a conventional and recognizable motif in heraldic design, used across many European armorial traditions since medieval times and still encountered in modern heraldry.

Artists rendering an engrailed edge typically aim for regularity in the depth and spacing of the indentations to conform with blazon conventions, ensuring the design remains legible at various sizes. The term applies to borders, ordinaries, or divisions such as borders (perimeters around a shield) and can be used on bends, fesses, or other line elements.

See also:

- Heraldry

- Blazon

- Indented

- Dancetty

- Nebuly

- Raguly