Crest
Webster's Dictionary [1]
(1):
(n.) The plume of feathers, or other decoration, worn on a helmet; the distinctive ornament of a helmet, indicating the rank of the wearer; hence, also, the helmet.
(2):
(n.) A tuft, or other excrescence or natural ornament, growing on an animal's head; the comb of a cock; the swelling on the head of a serpent; the lengthened feathers of the crown or nape of bird, etc.
(3):
(n.) A bearing worn, not upon the shield, but usually above it, or separately as an ornament for plate, liveries, and the like. It is a relic of the ancient cognizance. See Cognizance, 4.
(4):
(n.) The ridge or top of a wave.
(5):
(n.) The summit of a hill or mountain ridge.
(6):
(n.) The helm or head, as typical of a high spirit; pride; courage.
(7):
(n.) The upper curve of a horse's neck.
(8):
(n.) The top line of a slope or embankment.
(9):
(n.) The ornamental finishing which surmounts the ridge of a roof, canopy, etc.
(10):
(v. t.) To furnish with, or surmount as, a crest; to serve as a crest for.
(11):
(v. t.) To mark with lines or streaks, like, or regarded as like, waving plumes.
(12):
(v. i.) To form a crest.
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature [2]
(Lat. crista), the ornamental finishing which surmounts a screen, canopy, or other similar subordinate portion of a building, whether a battlement, open carved work, or other enrichment: a row of Tudor-flowers is very often used in late Perpendicular work. The name is sometimes applied to the top stones on the parapet and other similar parts of a Gothic building, usually called the capping or coping. The finials of gables and pinnacles are also sometimes called crests. Textiles were often made with a row of ornaments, resembling small battlements or Tudor-flowers, on the top, and glazed, and still are so occasionally, but in general they are quite plain. Frequently these ornaments were formed in lead when the ridge of the roof was covered with that material, as at Exeter Cathedral.
