an officer whose business was to denounce or proclaim war, to challenge to battle, to proclaim peace, and to bear messages from the commander of an army. he was invested with a sacred and inviolable character.-in the middle ages, the officer charged with the above duties, and also with the care of genealogies, of the rights and privileges of noble families, and especially of armorial bearings. in modern times, some vestiges of this office remain, especially in england. see heralds' college (below), and king-at-arms.-a proclaimer; one who, or that which, publishes or announces; as, the herald of another's fame.-a forerunner; a a precursor; a harbinger.-any messenger.-to introduce, or give tidings of, as by a herald; to proclaim; to announce; to foretell; to usher in.