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gambeson

[gam-buh-suh n]
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noun Armor.
  1. 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for gambeson

Historical Examples

  • The "Aketon" appears to be but another name for the gambeson.

    Ancient Armour and Weapons in Europe

    John Hewitt

  • 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 gambeson is shown on Fig. 9, appearing beneath the edge of the hauberk just above the knee.

    Armour &amp; Weapons

    Charles John Ffoulkes

  • Quilted garments were still worn, either as the sole defence or as a gambeson under the mail.

    Armour &amp; Weapons

    Charles John Ffoulkes

  • The Gambeson (or Wambasium,) was a quilted garment, used either alone, or with other armour.

British Dictionary definitions for gambeson

gambeson

noun
  1. 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
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Word Origin

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