tasset
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
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
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
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.
