What is "cross of lorraine"

n. A cross consisting of a vertical bar intersected by a shorter horizontal one above its midpoint, and again by another horizontal bar half the length of the first, intersecting the vertical bar midway between the larger horizontal bar and the top of the vertical bar: ☨

n. a cross with two crossbars, one above and one below the midpoint of the vertical, the lower longer than the upper [syn: Lorraine cross]

The Cross of Lorraine was originally a heraldic cross. The two-barred cross consists of a vertical line crossed by two shorter horizontal bars. In most renditions, the horizontal bars are "graded" with the upper bar being the shorter, though variations with the bars of equal length are also seen. The Lorraine name has come to signify several cross variations, including the patriarchal cross with its bars near the top.