hauberk

[ haw-burk ]

noun

, Armor.

1. a long defensive shirt, usually of mail, extending to the knees; byrnie.

hauberk

/ ˈhɔːbɜːk /

noun

1. a long coat of mail, often sleeveless

Word History and Origins

Origin of hauberk¹

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French hauberc, earlier halberc < Frankish *halsberg, equivalent to *hals neck ( hawse ) + *berg protection ( harbor ); cognate with Old High German halsberc Old English healsbeorg, Old Norse halsbjǫrg

Word History and Origins

Origin of hauberk¹

C13: from Old French hauberc, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German halsberc, Old English healsbeorg, from heals neck + beorg protection, shelter

Example Sentences

On tournament day, to the king’s great chagrin, Each one left his hauberk behind at the inn.

From Washington Post

And then, in the neatest way you could wish, the tear in the back of his hauberk caught on a hook in the wall.

From Literature

Merry’s sword had stabbed him from behind, shearing through the black mantle, and passing up beneath the hauberk had pierced the sinew behind his mighty knee.

From Literature

Well, Melias went left for a’ that—and he came by ill-luck stricken through the hauberk at the hands or some mysterious knight wha rode upon him, as Galahad foretold.

From Literature

He wore a long hauberk of oiled black mail, and held his sword before him: her father's greatsword; fee, near as tall as he was.

From Literature