a. Her. Forms: 6 iesaunt, iezante, gesante, 8 gessant, 7– jessant. (See also JACENT a. b.) [In sense 1, a. OF. gesant (later gisant) lying, pr. pple. of gésir:—L. jacēre to lie. Sense 2 is perh. a different word.]
1. Said of a charge represented as lying over another and partly covering it, so that the latter appears on both sides of, or above and below, the former.
1610. Guillim, Heraldry, III. xv. (1660), 194. A Lyon Jessant … is not subjected to the primary Charge, but is borne over both the Field and Charge, and is therefore called a Lyon Jessant, à jacendo, because of such lying all over.
1706. [see JACENT b].
1725. Bradley, Fam. Dict., Jessant, a Term in Heraldry, when in a Coat of Arms, a Lyon or other Beast is born over some Ordinary … that Lyon or Beast is blazoned Jessant or Jacent, that is, Lying over all.
2. Said when a charge (as an animal) is represented with another (as a branch or flower) in its mouth or as if issuing from it.
Jessant stands between the two names, e.g., a hart gessant a branch of dittany, as if agreeing with the first and governing the second; but it is explained by Chambers and later writers as if agreeing with the second, and = Shooting or springing forth (? for Fr. issant, ISSANT). Jessant-de-lis, abbrev. of jessant a fleur de lis, or in pl. jessant fleurs-de-lis.
1572. Bossewell, Armorie, II. 58. G. Beareth Sable, a Dromede passante d’or, gesante a branche of the Date tree propre. Ibid., 59. An Harte regardante d’Argente, iezante a branche of Dictamie propre.
1610. Guillim, Heraldry, III. xxvi. (1660), 257. The Field is … a Leopards head … Jessant a flower de lis.
1727–41. Chambers, Cycl. Jessant, in heraldry, is applied to a flower-de-luce, or the like figure, seeming to spring, or shoot out of some other charge…. The word is formed from the obsolete French jesser, to rise or spring out.
1766. Porny, Heraldry (1787), Gloss., Jessant. This word signifies shooting forth, as vegetables do; it is also used to express the bearing of Fleurs-de-lis coming out of a Leopard’s head, or out of any other Bearing.
1882. Cussans, Handbk. Her., vi. (ed. 3), 103. Jessant: Shooting, or springing out of.
