Small crosses or cross-shaped ornaments, often used as decorative elements in heraldry or medieval manuscripts.
From 'cross' (Old English cros, from Old Norse kross) plus the diminutive suffix '-let' (from Old French -elet), meaning small or little versions of something.
Crosslets appear constantly in medieval heraldry to denote different noble families—they're like the emoji of coat-of-arms design, letting you quickly identify which house a knight belonged to just by the tiny crosses on his shield.
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