In heraldry, describing an animal depicted walking or stepping in opposition to another similar animal, or moving counter to an expected direction.
From counter- + trippant. Trippant comes from Middle English tripping meaning 'walking daintily.' Used in heraldic terminology to describe opposing poses of animals.
Medieval heraldry was a visual language where two animals walking toward each other (countertrippant) told a story of conflict or tension far more elegantly than words ever could.
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