greaves

[greevz]

noun (used with a singular or plural verb)

crackling(def 3).

Origin of greaves

1605–15; < Low German greven; cognate with Old High German griubo, German Grieben

greave

[greev]

noun Armor.

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

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 greaves

Contemporary Examples of greaves

As an alternative religious player, says Greaves, the Satanic Temple provides yet another “counterbalance.”
Satan Is Coming to Oklahoma
Michelle Cottle
December 10, 2013
Greaves and a handful of friends founded it in January as a vehicle for a cheeky, in-your-face brand of political theater.
Satan Is Coming to Oklahoma
Michelle Cottle
December 10, 2013
These days, Greaves regards traditional religion in general as both dangerously superstitious and exclusionary.
Satan Is Coming to Oklahoma
Michelle Cottle
December 10, 2013
Greaves the man is equally—and intentionally—hard to get a read on.
Satan Is Coming to Oklahoma
Michelle Cottle
December 10, 2013

Historical Examples of greaves

And they all had brass helmets and purple tunics, and greaves, and their shields uncovered .
Anabasis
Xenophon
That must have been the time when you sent for Dr. Greaves at three in the morning.
Ambrotox and Limping Dick
Oliver Fleming
Palmer's horse was at once killed, and Greaves fell among the Pathans.
Through Three Campaigns
G. A. Henty
Will you be going to Mrs. Greaves' reception after the dinner?
Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1907 to 1908
Lucy Maud Montgomery
On the ground are the breast-plate, the greaves and the helmet.
Museum of Antiquity
L. W. Yaggy

British Dictionary definitions for greaves

greaves

pl n

the residue left after the rendering of tallow

Word Origin for greaves

C17: from Low German greven; related to Old High German griubo

Greaves

noun

Jimmy. born 1940, English footballer and television commentator on the sport; played for a number of clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea; scored 44 goals in 57 matches for England (1959–67)

greave

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

Word Origin and History for greaves

mid-14c., plural of greave.

greave

leg armor, c.1300, from Old French greve "shin, armor for the leg" (12c.), of unknown origin. [Klein suggests it ultimately is from Egyptian Arabic gaurab "stocking, apparel for the leg."]