Pale

One of the nine honourable ordinaries in the form of a band placed vertically in the middle of the shield and occupying one-third of the field. The pale should occupy one-third part of the breadth of the field, and divide the shield lengthways, from top to bottom. Some authors hold that when the pale is placed over a  charge, such charge is then said to be, say, debruised by a pale; but if the charge is placed over the pale, it is then termed supported by a pale.

Two ancient terms will be encountered in early works on heraldry:

Pale fece, meaning parted per pale and fess, which has been discontinued because of its similarity to the the Cross.

Pale fece neue is the pale triparted and parted likewise, barways and fretted, again discontinued because of its similarity to the Cross triparted.

See Ordinary

Various emblazonments of the Pale