cuirass
pronunciation
How to pronounce cuirass in British English:
UK [kwɪ'ræs]
How to pronounce cuirass in American English:
US [kwɪ'ræs]
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- Noun:
- medieval body armor that covers the chest and back
Word Origin
- cuirass
- cuirass: [15] A cuirass ‘breastplate’ is literally, and was originally, a piece of body armour made of leather. The word comes, via French cuirasse, from Vulgar Latin *coriācia, a nominal use of the Latin adjective coriāceus ‘made of leather’. This was a derivative of corium ‘leather’, which came ultimately from the Indo-European base *ker- or *sker- ‘cut’ (source also of English shear), the underlying notion being of removing the animal’s hide with a knife. Other descendants of Latin corium include French cuir and Spanish cuero, both meaning ‘leather’.=> curtail, shear, shirt, short, skirt
- cuirass (n.)
- "armor for the chest and back," mid-15c., from Middle French cuirasse (15c.), from Late Latin coriacea vestis "garment of leather," from Latin corium "leather, hide" (see corium). Cognate with Italian corazza, Spanish coraza, Portuguese couraça.
Example
- 1. A young man in a fur cap and a cuirass .
- 2. Short-sleeved garment that legionaries wore under the cuirass .
- 3. On his cuirass he wore the silver cross of the legion of honor .