Jupoun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sleeveless garment, often padded or quilted, worn over armour in the medieval period and resembling a short tunic
2. An archaic term for a short sleeveless tunic, sometimes worn over a suit of mail or plate armour by knights
3. A close-fitting sleeveless jacket or tunic, once worn over chain mail or other armour during the Middle Ages

Etymology: In Arabic, "jubba" was a long outer robe, and the word travelled west through Italian ("giubba") into Old French, where "jupe" came to mean a skirt or garment. Its diminutive, "jupon," named a shorter tunic, and that is the form English borrowed in the Middle Ages. In English the word was used for a sleeveless tunic worn over armour, and it could also mean a padded garment worn beneath or in place of armour. Its primary sense was still tied to clothing that covered the body, which is why the word once sat close to the word "jupe" in French while English kept only the diminutive form.