gambeson

[ gam-buh-suhn ]

/ ˈgæm bə sən /

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noun Armor.

a quilted garment worn under mail.

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Origin of gambeson

1300–50; Middle English ga(u)mbeson a military tunic <Old French gambison, gambeison, probably <Germanic

Words nearby gambeson

Gamay, gamba, gambado, gamba stop, Gambel's quail, gambeson, Gambetta, Gambia, Gambian, gambier, Gambier Islands

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gambeson in a sentence

The gambeson is shown on Fig. 9, appearing beneath the edge of the hauberk just above the knee.
Armour & Weapons|Charles John Ffoulkes
Quilted garments were still worn, either as the sole defence or as a gambeson under the mail.
Armour & Weapons|Charles John Ffoulkes
The gambeson appearing below the chausses, but covering the chaussons of mail, forming an extra protection to the knee.
Armour in England|J. Starkie Gardner
The shirts of mail are edged with wide borders, which may or may not represent the under tunic or gambeson showing beneath.
Spanish Arms and Armour|Albert F. Calvert

The "Aketon" appears to be but another name for the gambeson.
Ancient Armour and Weapons in Europe|John Hewitt

British Dictionary definitions for gambeson

gambeson

/ (ˈɡæmbɪsən) /

noun

a quilted and padded or stuffed leather or cloth garment worn under chain mail in the Middle Ages and later as a doublet by men and women

Word Origin for gambeson

C13: from Old French, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German wamba belly; see womb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012