camail

camail (KUH-mayl) - n., a curtain of mail attached to the rim of a helmet extending to cover the neck and shoulders.


Also (more commonly) called an aventail. Associated particularly with European armor of the 14th century -- before then, knights wore a mail coif, which this partially replicated, and after it they went in for complete plate. From French, from French, from Old Provençal capmalh, from cap, head (from Latin caput) + malha, mesh/ring-mail (from Latin macula spot/mesh). A bascinet with camail:


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---L.