Armiger

For other uses, see Armiger (disambiguation).

In heraldry, an armiger is a (natural or juridical) person entitled to use a heraldic achievement (e.g., bear arms, an "armour-bearer") either by hereditary right, grant, matriculation, or assumption of arms. Such a person is said to be armigerous; the term has also been informally applied to clans and families. In Scotland, however, heraldic authorities including the Lord Lyon King of Arms and the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs have noted that, properly speaking, arms belong to individual armigers rather than to a clan or family collectively.