greave

[ greev ]

/ griv /

noun Armor.

a piece of plate armor for the leg between the knee and the ankle, usually composed of front and back pieces.

Nearby words

greatest-integer function, greathearted, greatheartedly, greatly, greats, greave, greaves, grebe, grecian, grecian bend, grecian profile

Origin of greave

1300–50; Middle English greves (plural) < Old French < ?

Also called jamb, jambeau.

Related formsgreaved, adjective

Can be confusedgreave grieve

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for greave

He, Hawberk, had negotiated for and secured the greave, and now the suit was complete.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Did you continue the search so persistently without any certainty of the greave being still in existence?
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Damned if it doesn't look like a greave the old Greek warriors used to wear to protect their shins.
Astounding Stories, February, 1931|Various
He must surely be a bit of a bigot, who would hastily pronounce that even Greave's Spiritual Quixotte is an irreligious work.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 64 No. 396 October 1848|Various

The legionaries began putting on their armour, fastened the greave protecting the right leg, and took up bucklers and lances.
The Death of the Gods|Dmitri Mrejkowski
Suddenly alarmed and mystified beyond words, he shuffled forward over the snow, the greave yet clutched in a fur gloved hand.
Astounding Stories, February, 1931|Various
Griff—a valley-name in east Yorkshire, probably connected with 'greave,' which is common in Derbyshire.
Climbing in The British Isles. Vol. 1 - England|W. P. Haskett Smith

British Dictionary definitions for greave

greave

/ (ɡriːv) /

noun

(often plural) a piece of armour worn to protect the shin from the ankle to the knee

Derived Formsgreaved, adjective

Word Origin for greave

C14: from Old French greve, perhaps from graver to part the hair, of Germanic origin

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