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A
fess is a term used in
heraldry to describe a charge on a coat of arms that takes the form of a band running from the left to the right side of the shield, centered from top to bottom. Writers disagree in how much of the shield's surface is to be covered by the fess, ranging from one-fifth to one-third. The former is more likely if the fess is uncharged, that is, if it does not have other charges placed on it. If charged, the fess is typically wider.
The shield to the right depicts a gold fess placed on a black shield, and its blazon is Sable, a fess or.
A fess when couped ("cut off" at either end, and so not reaching the sides of the shield) can be called humetty, but this term cannot be used interchangeably with "couped," being restricted to some charges, as for example the fess and the cross.
The fess is one of the ordinaries in heraldry, along with the chief, bend, chevron and pale. There are several other ordinaries and sub-ordinaries.
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