See also:

• CUIRASS (Fr. cuirasse, Lat. coriaceus, made of leather, from corium, the original breastplate being of leather)

CUIRASS (Fr. cuirasse, See also:

• LAT

Lat. coriaceus, made of See also:

• LEATHER (a word which appears in all Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Leder, Dutch leer or leder, Swed. leder, and in such Celtic forms as Welsh llader)
• LEATHER, ARTIFICIAL

leather, from corium, the See also:

• ORIGINAL

original breastplate being of leather)  , the See also:

• PLATE

plate See also:

• ARMOUR, PHILIP DANFORTH (1832-1901)

armour, whether formed of a single piece of See also:

• METAL
• METAL (through Fr. from Lat. metallum, mine, quarry, adapted from Gr. µATaXAov, in the same sense, probably connected with ,ueraAAdv, to search after, explore, µeTa, after, aAAos, other)

metal or other rigid material or composed of two or more pieces, which covers the front of the wearer's See also:

• PERSON, OFFENCES AGAINST THE

person . In a suit of armour, however, since this important piece was generally worn in connexion with a corresponding See also:

• DEFENCE
• DEFENCE (Lat. defendere, to defend)

defence for the back, the See also:

• TERM

term See also:

• CUIRASS (Fr. cuirasse, Lat. coriaceus, made of leather, from corium, the original breastplate being of leather)

cuirass commonly is understood to imply the See also:

• COMPLETE

complete See also:

• BODY

body-armour, including both the See also:

• BREAST (a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. the Ger. Brust, possibly connected with an O. Sax. brustian, to bud)

breast and the back plates . Thus this complete body-armour appears in the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle ages frequently to have been described as a " pair of plates." The corslet (Fr. corselet, diminutive of the 0 . Fr. cars, body), a comparatively See also:

• LIGHT

light cuirass, is more strictly a breast-plate only . As parts of the military equipment of classic antiquity, cuirasses and corslets of See also:

• BRONZE

bronze, and at later periods also of See also:

• IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

iron or some other rigid substance, were habitually in use; but while some See also:

• SPECIAL

special See also:

• KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind of secondary See also:

• PROTECTION

protection for the breast had been worn in earlier times by the men-at-arms in addition to their See also:

• MAIL

mail hauberks and their " See also:

• COTES, ROGER (1682-1716)

cotes " armed with splints and studs, it was not till the 14th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century that a See also:

• REGULAR

regular body-defence of plate can be said to have become an established component of See also:

• MEDIEVAL

medieval armour . As this century continued to advance, the cuirass is found gradually to have come into See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general use, in connexion with plate defences for the limbs, until, at the See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close of the century, the See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long See also:

• FAMILIAR (through the Fr. familier, from Lat. familiaris, of or belonging to the familia, family)

familiar inter-linked See also:

• CHAIN (through the O. Fr. citable, chcene, &c., from Lat. catena)

chain-mail is no longer visible in knightly figures, except in the camail of the bassinet and at the edge of the hauberk . The prevailing; and indeed almost the universal, usage through-out this century was that the cuirass was worn covered . Thus, the globose See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of the breast-armour of the See also:

• BLACK
• BLACK, ADAM (1784-1874)
• BLACK, JEREMIAH SULLIVAN (1810–1883)
• BLACK, WILLIAM (1841-1898)

Black See also:

• PRINCE
• PRINCE (Lat. princeps, from primus capio, " I am the first to take "; Ital. principe, Fr. prince)

Prince, in his effigy in See also:

• CANTERBURY
• CANTERBURY, CHARLES

Canterbury See also:

• CATHEDRAL

cathedral, 1376, intimates that a cuirass as well as a hauberk is to be considered to have been covered by the See also:

• ROYALTY (0. Fr. realte, reialte, royaulte, from Med. Lat. regalitas, the substantive of regalis, of or belonging to a king, rex)

royalty-emblazoned jupon of the prince . The cuirass, thus worn in the 14th century, was always made of sufficient length to See also:

• REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest on the hips; otherwise, if not thus supported, it must have been suspended from the shoulders, in which See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case it would have effectually interfered with the See also:

• FREE

free and vigorous See also:

• ACTION

action of the wearer . See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

Early in the 15th century, the entire' See also:

• PANOPLY

panoply of plate, including the cuirass, began to be worn without any surcoat; but in the concluding See also:

• QUARTER (through Fr. from Lat. quartarius, fourth part)

quarter of the century the See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short surcoat, with full short sleeves, known as the See also:

• TABARD

tabard, was in general use over the armour . At the same See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time that the disuse of the surcoat became general, small plates of various forms and sizes (and not always made in pairs, the plate for the right or See also:

• SWORD (0. Eng. sweord; ultimately from an Indo-European root meaning to wound)

sword-See also:

• ARM (a common Teutonic word; the Indo-European root is ar, to join or fit; cf. the Lat. armus, shoulder, and the plural word arma, weapons, Gr. apphs, joint, and the reduplicated apapilKSV, to join)

arm often being smaller and lighter than its See also:

• COMPANION (through the O. Fr. compaignon or compagnon, from the Late Lat. companio,—cum, with, and panis, bread,—one who shares meals with another; the word has been wrongly derived from the Late Lat. compagnus, one of the same pages or district)

companion);" were attached to the armour in front of the shoulders, to defend the otherwise vulnerable points where the plate defences of the upper-arms and the cuirass See also:

• LEFT

left a See also:

• GAP

gap on each See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side . About the middle of the century, instead of being formed of a single plate, the breast-plate of the cuirass was made in two parts, the See also:

• LOWER

lower adjusted to overlap the tipper, and contrived by means of a strap or sliding See also:

• RIVET (0. Fr. rivet, from river, to fix, fasten together, of unknown origin; Skeat compares Icel. rifa, to stitch together)

rivet to give flexibility to this defence .

In the second See also:

• HALF

half of the 15th century the cuirass occasionally was superseded by the " See also:

• BRIGANDINE

brigandine jacket," a defence formed of some textile fabric, generally of See also:

• RICH, BARNABE (c. 1540-1617)
• RICH, CLAUDIUS JAMES (1787-1821)
• RICH, JOHN (1692-1761)
• RICH, PENELOPE, LADY (c. 1562–1607)
• RICH, RICHARD, 1ST BARON RICH (1490?-1567)

rich material, lined throughout with overlapping scales (resembling the earlier " imbricated " form) of metal, which were attached to the jacket by rivets, having their heads, like studs, visible on the outside . In the 16th century, when occasionally, and by personages of exalted See also:

• RANK (O.Fr. rant or rent, mod. rang, generally connected with the O.E. and O.H.G. bring, a ring)

rank, splendid surcoats were worn over the armour, the cuirass—its breast-piece during the first half of the century, globular in form was constantly reinforced by strong additional plates attached to it by rivets or screws . About 1550 the breast-piece of the cuirass was characterized by a See also:

• VERTICAL (from Lat. vertex, highest point)

vertical central See also:

• RIDGE (a word. common to many Teutonic languages, meaning " back," whether of a man or an animal, cf. German Rucke)
• RIDGE, WILLIAM PETT (1864- )

ridge, called the " tapul " having near its centre a projecting point; this See also:

• PRO

pro= jection, somewhat later, was brought lower down, and eventually the See also:

• PROFILE

profile of the plate, the See also:

• PROJECTION

projection having been carried to its See also:

• BASE

base, assumed the singular form which led to this See also:

• FASHION (adapted from Fr. facon, agon, Lat. factio, making, facere, to do or make)

fashion of the cuirass being distinguished as the " peascod cuirass." Corslets provided with both breast and back pieces were worn by See also:

• FOOT

foot-soldiers in the 17th century, while their mounted comrades were equipped in heavier and stronger cuirasses; and these defences continued in use after the other pieces of armour, one by one, had gradually been laid aside . Their use, however, never altogether ceased, and in 'See also:

• MODERN

modern armies mounted See also:

• CUIRASSIERS

cuirassiers, armed as in earlier days with breast and back plates, have in some degree emulated the See also:

• MARTIAL (MARCUS VALERIUS MARTIALIS)

martial splendour of the body-armour of the era of medieval See also:

• CHIVALRY (O. Fr. chevalerie, from Late Lat. caballerius)

chivalry . Some years after See also:

• WATERLOO

Waterloo certain See also:

• HISTORICAL

historical cuirasses were taken from their repose in the See also:

• TOWER (Lat. turris; Fr. tour, clocker; Ital. torre; Ger. Thurm)

Tower of See also:

• LONDON

London, and adapted for service by the See also:

• LIFE

Life See also:

• GUARDS, AND HOUSEHOLD TROOPS

Guards and the See also:

• HORSE (a word common to Teutonic languages in such forms as hors, hros, ros; cf. the Ger. ross)

Horse Guards . For See also:

• PARADE (Fr. parade, an adaptation from Ital. parada; cf. Span. parada, from Lat. parade, to prepare, equip, furnish)

parade purposes, the Prussian Gardes du Carps and other See also:

• CORPS (pronounced as in French, from which it is taken, being a late spelling of tors, from Lat. corpus, a body; cf. " corpse ")

corps See also:

• WEAR

wear cuirasses of richly decorated See also:

• LEATHER (a word which appears in all Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Leder, Dutch leer or leder, Swed. leder, and in such Celtic forms as Welsh llader)
• LEATHER, ARTIFICIAL

leather .