Meanings
alternative gu. · alternative g.
- uncountablegovernmentRed, e.g. on a coat of arms, typically represented in engraving by vertical parallel lines.
The official blazon of the arms of Perth is "Gules, a Holy Lambe passant regardant staff and cross argent, with the banner of St. Andrew proper, all within a double tressure counter-flowered of the second": […].
1956 July, Col. H. C. B. Rogers, “Railway Heraldry”, in Railway Magazine, page 480
alternative gu. · alternative g.
- governmentIn blazon, of the colour red.
The symbol of the Red Cross is a cross gules.
2 more examples
Now is he total gules, horridly tricked
1602, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, ii 2You know they still Call themselves Bulls, though thus degenerate, And everything relating to a Bull Is popular and respectable in Thebes. Their arms are seven Bulls in a field gules; They think their strength consists in eating beef,—
1820, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Oedipus Tyrannus; Or, Swellfoot The Tyrant: A Tragedy in Two Acts
Origin
- Middle Frenchgeules
- Old Frenchgeule“animal’s mouth, throat”
- Middle Englishgoules
- Englishgules
From Middle English goules, from Old French geule (“animal’s mouth, throat”) via Middle French geules. Compare with French gueules, Portuguese goelas and Spanish gules.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian червен
- червен (červen)heraldry, of the colour red
Danish rød, rød
- rødblazoning term for red
- rødheraldry, of the colour red
Dutch keel, rood
- keelblazoning term for red
- roodheraldry, of the colour red
- keelheraldry, of the colour red
Finnish punainen, punainen
- punainenblazoning term for red
- punainenheraldry, of the colour red
French gueules, gueules
- gueulesblazoning term for red
- gueulesheraldry, of the colour red
German Rot, rot
- Rotblazoning term for red
- rotheraldry, of the colour red
Hindi लाल
- लाल (lāl)blazoning term for red
Hungarian vörös
- vörösheraldry, of the colour red
Italian rosso, rosso
- rossoblazoning term for red
- rossoheraldry, of the colour red
Polish czerwień, czerwony
- czerwieńblazoning term for red
- czerwonyheraldry, of the colour red
Portuguese goles, vermelho
- golesblazoning term for red
- vermelhoblazoning term for red
- golesheraldry, of the colour red
Romanian roșu, roșu
- roșublazoning term for red
- roșuheraldry, of the colour red
Russian че́рвлень, кра́сный
- че́рвлень (čérvlenʹ)blazoning term for red
- кра́сный (krásnyj)heraldry, of the colour red
- червлёный (červljónyj)heraldry, of the colour red
Slovak červená
- červenáblazoning term for red
Spanish gules, gules
- gulesblazoning term for red
- gulesheraldry, of the colour red
Swedish rött, röd
- röttblazoning term for red
- rödheraldry, of the colour red
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with gules
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
gules. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gules
“gules.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gules. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gules,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gules.
Source: gules on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.