cuirass

cuirass Definition

cui·rass (kwi ras′)

noun

a piece of closefitting armor for protecting the breast and back, orig. made of leather
the breastplate of such armor
Zool. a protective structure of bony plates

Etymology: Fr cuirasse < It corazza < VL *coracea, for L (vestis) coriacea, leather (clothing) < corium, leather, hide: see corium

transitive verb

to cover with or as with a cuirass

cuirass Usage Examples

Converse of object

wear: St. Theodore is depicted mounted, wearing a cuirass interlaced with belts.

Noun used with modifier

muscle: There is no evidence to suggest centurions ever wore lorica segmentata and never a mixture of muscle cuirass with segmentata shoulders.
steel: My second, as I saw a long black beard against a steel cuirass, was to halt and await him.

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