tasset
1
9.9
One of two small plates of armor that hang from the waist to protect the upper thighs
- noun
- Archaic
:
tasset
- The knight donned his shining armor, complete with protective tassets to shield his upper thighs during battle.
Examples
-
He wore the half-armor of a light horseman gorget, cuirass, steel gauntlets, mail sleeves, and plate tassets on his thighs.
Fiction book (2002) -
The armor was carefully crafted, especially the tassets, which ensured the knight's legs were well-protected.
-
During the reenactment, the soldiers displayed their historical armors featuring tassets as part of their outfits.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A metal plate that protects the hip and thigh in a suit of armor
is narrower, hanging from a fauld rather than a general hip plate
9.9
One of a pair of metal plates that hang from armor to protect the upper thighs
has identical meaning but is an alternative name
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tasset comes from the Old French tasse 'cup' plus the small ending -et, so it originally meant 'little cup'. That's why a tasset is a small, cup-like plate of armor that hangs from the waist to protect the upper thigh.