aventail

1 9.9

A piece of armor made of small metal rings attached to a helmet that protects the neck and lower head

noun
/ˈævənˌteɪl/

Archaic

: aventail

The knight's helmet was equipped with a aventail to shield his neck from enemy blows.

Examples

Chain aventails were worn for added protection, and grave sites even leave evidence of impressive face masks.
Some were more conical, some had a chain aventail, some had masks, some had horns, and some had plumes.
During the reenactment, the soldiers proudly displayed their historical armor, complete with chain aventails.
In medieval battles, an aventail was essential for protecting warriors' heads and necks from arrows.

Synonyms

ventail

vsaventail

Archaic

1 9.9

Piece of armor made from small metal rings that hangs from a helmet to protect face and neck

protects the head as well as the neck rather than just the lower face

camail

vsaventail

Archaic

9.9

A curtain of metal rings attached to a helmet to protect the neck and shoulders

focuses on shielding the head and upper neck rather than the shoulders

How Protective

aventail

Archaic

1 9.9

gorget

Archaic

1 9.9

throat protector

1 4.1

helmet

426 1.0

scarf

207 1.0

Surface Forms

aventail singular

aventails plural

Etymology

The word aventail comes from old French avant meaning 'before' or 'in front'. It named a curtain of chain mail that hung from a helmet to protect the neck, so today an aventail means the mail attached to a helmet.