sabaton

American  

[sab-uh-ton] / ˈsæb əˌtɒn /

noun

Armor.

1. a foot defense of mail or of a number of lames with solid toe and heel pieces.

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Etymology

Origin of sabaton

1300–50; Middle English < Old Provençal, equivalent to sabat ( a ) shoe + -on augmentative suffix. See sabot

Explanation

In the old days, knights on horseback sometimes wore sabatons, protective armor that enclosed their feet. Fighters on the ground didn't wear these, since it was nearly impossible to walk in sabatons. Sabaton is derived from the Old French sabot, "wooden shoe." Though these original hollowed-out shoes were worn by peasants in 13th century France, knight-inspired sabatons were often part of a 14th- or 15th-century duke's outfit. They were protective, part of a body-coving suit of armor, but also decorative, often featuring exaggerated, pointed toes.