Cuirass
/kwɪˈræs/noun
A piece of armor covering the chest and back.
Did you know?Cuirass ultimately comes from a word for leather or hide, because the earliest body armor was literally a hardened skin worn over the body.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“to cut”
Late Latin
Latin
corium
“hide, leather, skin”
Old French
Old French
cuirace
“a piece of body armor covering the torso”
14th Century
Middle English
cuirasse
“a breastplate or armor for the body”
Modern English
English
cuirass
“a piece of armor covering the chest and back”