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chain mail

 
Dictionary: chain mail
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n.
Flexible armor made of joined metal links or scales.


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: chain mail
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Turkish coat of chain mail, 16th century
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Turkish coat of chain mail, 16th century (credit: Courtesy of The John Woodman Higgins Armoury Museum)
Form of body armour worn by European knights and other medieval warriors. An early form, made by sewing iron rings to fabric or leather, was worn in late Roman times and may have originated in Asia. Medieval armourers interlaced the rings, which were closed by welding or riveting. In the 8th century, mail was a short coat with a separate sleeve for the sword arm. By the Norman Conquest (1066), the coat was long and fully sleeved; a hood, usually fitting under a helmet, covered the head and neck. By the 12th century, mail was fitted to hands, feet, and legs. The addition of plates to increase chest and back protection gradually evolved in the 14th century into complete plate armour, displacing mail.

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Archaeology Dictionary: chain mail
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[De]

A type of protective armour made from interlinked metal rings.
WordNet: chain mail
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: (medieval) flexible armor; made of interlinked metal rings
  Synonyms: ring mail, mail, chain armor, chain armour, ring armor, ring armour

 
 
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more