Bottony

Cross bottony
Cross bottony on a shield
Not to be confused with botany.

In heraldry, bottony refers to a symbol having a bud or button, or a kind of trefoil, at the end; furnished with knobs or buttons. Hence, a cross bottony (or "botonny") is a cross having each arm terminating in three rounded lobes, forming a sort of trefoil. From the religious point of view, the cross bottony can be used as a symbol of the Christian Trinity.

A cross bottony which is heraldically "counterchanged" occurs on the flag of Maryland.

References

  1.  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "article name needed". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (first ed.). James and John Knapton, et al. 
  1. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. 1913.
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