vair

V4A1I1R1
UK/ˈvɛə/US/ˈvɛɚ/US/ˈvɛɹ̩/Australia/veː/

noun

A type of fur from a squirrel with a grey back and white belly, much used on garments in the Middle Ages.

OriginMiddle English veir ← Old French vair ← Latin varius →
UncommonScrabble 7
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Meanings

nounvair (countable and uncountable, plural vairs)

plural vairs

  1. countableuncountableA type of fur from a squirrel with a grey back and white belly, much used on garments in the Middle Ages.

    Bran wore grey breeches and white doublet, his sleeves and collar trimmed with vair.

    1999, George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam, published 2011, page 323
  2. countableuncountablegovernmentAn heraldic fur formed by a regular tessellation of bell shapes in two colours, (for example in the image, blue and white).

Origin

  1. Latinvarius“variegated”
  2. Old Frenchvair
  3. Middle Englishveir
  4. Englishvair

From Middle English veir, veire, from Old French vair, veir, from the accusative singular masculine form of Latin varius (“variegated”). Not related to Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“squirrel”).

More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan vaire
  • vaireheraldic fur
Czech popeličina
  • popeličinaheraldic fur
Dutch vaar, vair
  • vaarheraldic fur
  • vairheraldic fur
Esperanto vajro
  • vajroheraldic fur
Finnish oravannahka
  • oravannahkaheraldic fur
French vair
  • vairheraldic fur
German Feh
  • Fehheraldic fur
Hungarian evet
  • evetheraldic fur
Irish véir
  • véirheraldic fur
Italian vaio
  • vaioheraldic fur
Japanese ヴェア
  • ヴェア (vuea)heraldic fur
Norwegian Bokmål gråverk, gråskinn
  • gråverkheraldic fur
  • gråskinnheraldic fur
Portuguese veiro
  • veiroheraldic fur
Russian бе́личий мех
  • бе́личий мех (béličij mex)heraldic fur
Spanish vero
  • veroheraldic fur
Swedish gråverk
  • gråverkheraldic fur
Ukrainian ви́вірка
  • ви́вірка (vývirka)heraldic fur

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with vair

aretherewherecarecompareairsharehairmaryrepairfairbearwearrarelayerpairawareprepareprayermayorterrorPierresparebare
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

veer (cheer–chair merger)

Anagrams

RavivaririvaviraViar
Cite this entry
APA

vair. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vair

MLA

“vair.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vair. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vair,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vair.

Source: vair on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.