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Glite Dictionary
corselet

corselet

9.9
A piece of armor that covers the chest and back
  • noun
  • /ˈkɔrsəlɪt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : corselet
  • She admired the intricately designed corselet displayed in the museum, which had been used in ancient warfare.

Examples

  • Courtesans, their breasts bare as was the fashion and undergirded by dazzling corselets, flaunted their indolence, emanating perfume.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The knight wore a sturdy corselet made of bronze to protect his chest during battle.

  • In medieval times, a corselet was essential for warriors to safeguard themselves from enemy attacks.

Synonyms

corslet
vscorselet
  • Archaic
9.9

A piece of protective armor that covers the chest and back

is the same in meaning but represents an alternate spelling

How Protective

corselet
  • Archaic
9.9
gambeson
  • Archaic
9.9

Surface Forms

corselet singular
corselets plural

Morphology

corselet = corse + let

Although the form includes the diminutive suffix '-let', the root 'corse' is not a productive modern English base meaning 'body', so learners cannot reliably derive 'piece of armor' from its parts.

Etymology

Corselet comes from an old French word cors meaning 'body' and the ending -let meaning 'small'. So a corselet is a small 'body' cover, a short breastplate or piece of armor that covers the chest and back.