Ventayles

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referencing visored breathing slits in medieval helmets ; obsolete architectural air vents ; rare poetic allusion to any opening for air passage
2. An antiquated descriptor for air holes in armored faceplates ; refers to archaic ventilation grilles in buildings ; used poetically for any perforation allowing airflow
3. Historical name for protective helmet slots for breathing ; can denote old-fashioned ventilation openings in structures ; occasionally a literary word for any aperture that lets air in

Etymology: "Ventayles" is the plural of "ventayle," the armour term for the slits or perforations in a helmet that let the wearer breathe and see. The singular is an inflected form, so its history lies in the base word. That base comes from Old French "ventaille," a word for the movable part of a helmet's face-guard, built from "vent" (air, wind), which is why the item is literally an air-passage. Because the word belongs to the vocabulary of medieval armour, its story is one of a specialised term that outlived the armour it named.

Synonyms: vents, openings