Marmion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A piece of plate armor that covers the face and upper neck, typically worn with a helmet during medieval combat
2. Facial and neck protection made of metal plates, designed to shield a warrior's head and throat in battle
3. A metal defense worn over the face and neck area, common in medieval warfare as part of a knight's protective equipment

Etymology: Most readers first meet this name as the title hero of Walter Scott's 1808 poem "Marmion," a proud, boastful knight whose downfall drives the plot. Scott drew on a real family: the Marmions were a Norman line, and Robert de Marmion held Tamworth Castle in the Midlands after the Conquest, so the surname is a medieval Anglo-Norman one. The surname likely comes from an Old French "marmion," a word for a grotesque carved figure, a small monster, or a puppet. Such figures decorated medieval churches and castles, so the name may first have been a nickname for someone who resembled one or who performed as one. The exact origin is uncertain, and this is the leading explanation rather than a settled one.