Buckler

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbʌk.lə/

Definitions

1. A small, handheld shield primarily used for protection in combat situations
2. A circular shield carried by hand for defense in battle ; to defend or guard against attack or harm
3. A compact shield used to block strikes or projectiles ; to act as a shield by providing protection or support

Etymology: The buckler's name comes from a small, rounded metal knob. In Latin, "buccula" meant the boss, the raised central knob of a shield, and it was a diminutive of "bucca," meaning cheek, so the boss was named for something like a little cheek. Vulgar Latin turned this into "bucculārius," describing a shield fitted with such a boss, and Old French carried the idea forward as "bocler" and "boucler." That French line survives today as "bouclier," the ordinary French word for shield. Medieval English took the word as "bukler" or "bokler" in the Middle Ages, when it named the small round shield held in the hand rather than strapped to the arm. The spelling then drifted toward the familiar form, and it picked up a second life: English speakers blended it with "buckle," the fastener, and with the agent ending "-er," which helped reshape the word into something that sounded like a tool for buckling.

Synonyms: shield, defender, protector