cuisse

[prettygoodword]

cuisse (KWIS) or cuish (KWISH) - n., plate armor protecting the thigh.


Often seen in the plural cuisses/cuishes, because a suit of armor has two of them -- it's a pants thing. Earlier forms were simply padding or leather, but by the 15th century, when plate armor was worn in its fullest form, this was a cylinder of steel in two pieces, hinged two open along the length of the thigh. The word is identical to the modern French cuisse, thigh, but evolved there semi-independently after being borrowed in the 13th century from Old French quisseuz or cuisseus, thigh, from Latin coxa, hip.

---L.

Comments

[mount-oregano.livejournal.com]

The Spanish word for that is quixote. As in Don Quixote -- the first of two puns in the title of the book. The second is "la Mancha." It is the name of the plain in Spain, and it comes from the Arabic word for "plain." But "mancha" is also a stain, as in a stain on one's honor. So "Don Quixote de la Mancha," "Sir Thigh-Armor of the Stain."

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

I did not realize that! (Well, I knew about la Mancha, but not the armor piece.)

---L.