Roundel (heraldry) "pommes" is now more common. The term for a red roundel, "torteau", is typically pluralised in the French manner as "torteaux" rather than "torteaus", although "torteaus" is occasionally seen. A "pellet" may also be called an "ogress". In modern French blazonry, a roundel of either metal ("or" or "argent") is a "besant", and a roundel of any colour (dark tincture) is a "torteau", with the tincture specified. However, an alternate naming system has been used for the non-mental tinctures, with similar terms as English heraldry ("guse" for "gules", "heurte" for "azure", "ogoesse" for "sable", "somme", "volet" or "pomme" for "vert",
Polish heraldry half use a red background, with blue (azure) coming in a distant second. Nowhere else in Europe is there seen such a strong bias towards a particular colour scheme. It follows, however, the well-known heraldic custom of all Europe, of the vassals following the colour-scheme of their overlord, which found practical use on the battlefield. Other typical features used in Polish heraldry include horseshoes, arrows, Maltese crosses, scythes, stars, and crescents. There are also many purely geometrical shapes for which a separate set of heraldic terms was invented. It has been suggested that originally all Polish coats of arms were