buckler
Americannoun
-
a round shield held by a grip and sometimes having straps through which the arm is passed.
-
any means of defense; protection.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a small round shield worn on the forearm or held by a short handle
-
a means of protection; defence
verb
Etymology
Origin of buckler
1250–1300; Middle English bokeler < Anglo-French, Middle French bocler, equivalent to bocle boss 2 + -er -er 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is carved with a scene in sunken relief depicting two footmen fighting, buckler in hand.
From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2011
Melanthius emerges "one hand clutching a crested helmet, the other/ an ample old buckler blotched with mildew/ the shield Laertes bore as a young soldier once."
From Time Magazine Archive
Unsurpassed prosperity and the unmatched legislative record of the 89th Congress seemed the ideal sword and buckler for the combat ahead.
From Time Magazine Archive
He wore the flashiest of $7 suits, affected checkered caps and learned to assume instantly that false air of hearty confidence which is every actor's shield and buckler in time of ad versity.
From Time Magazine Archive
He was the first to pull a helmet on and slide his bare arm in a buckler strap.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
