Armets

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Protective helmets worn by knights in the late Middle Ages; a type of fully enclosed headgear used in combat to shield the head and face; steel or metal coverings designed to safeguard the wearer’s head during battle
2. Helmets specifically crafted for medieval warfare, enclosing the head with a visor; armor pieces protecting the skull and face of a mounted soldier; head protection made of metal plates used historically by knights
3. Enclosed combat helmets from medieval times used primarily by knights; a form of armor designed to cover and shield the wearer's head and face; steel headgear offering defense in battle situations during the Middle Ages

Etymology: "Armets" is the plural of "armet", a helmet form that was a favourite of knights in the late Middle Ages. The singular entered English from French, where "armet" was a diminutive-style variant of "helmet" itself: Middle French "heaumet", a small version of the older "heaume", and that in turn came from Old French "helmet" (a smaller helm). Behind it all lies a Proto-West Germanic root "*helm", meaning simply "helmet", which is also the ancestor of English "helm" and "helmet". So the armet is a helmet named, in effect, after the diminutive form of a helmet. "Helm" and "helmet" are doublets of one another: they split from the same Germanic root, one arriving through the older native channel and the other through French, and both have survived into modern English.

Synonyms: helmets, armour helmets