a cross pierced.
1. A charge perforated or voided so as to show the field. When the shape of the aperture is not given, it is circular.
There are three ways of piercing the cross, which is always in the middle and, when not otherwise expressed, circular as with other charges; the other piercings are lozengy and quarterly. Some heralds maintain, that square pierced is more proper than quarterly pierced; but the latter is very generally used for piercings of a square form. When the part immediately under the perforation is of a different tincture to that of the field, it is often called pierced of such a metal or colour, which, strictly speaking, is not correct, and should rather be termed charged with a roundel, square or lozenge of the tincture it may happen to be.
Cross moline pierced lozengy.
Cross moline pierced quarterly.
Cross pierced quarterly.
Cross fitché at all points and quarterly pierced.
In this instance, where the entire centre is removed, quarterly voided could be a more appropriate term since, when pierced, only part of the centre is so removed.
The term will sometimes be encountered to depict a cross voided in the centre or a cross quarter-pierced. It has also been blazoned Cross perforated, Cross quarterly pierced, Cross quarter pierced and voided, and Cross quarter voided.
vert a bull's head caboshed arg pierced by 2 arrows, in chief the sun in splendour all or
2. The term pierced, or more correctly transpierced, is likewise applicable to animals when wounded with an arrow, spear, etc. which, when passing quite through, is then said to be transfixed by an arrow, etc. The mere showing of a wound, with drops of blood from it, is called vulned. Some heralds have less usually applied vulned in the sense of transfixed blazoning, say, an arrow sticking in a boar vulned by an arrow. See Transfixed and Vulned
