byrnie

[ bur-nee ]

noun

, Armor.

1. a coat of mail; hauberk.

byrnie

/ ˈbɜːnɪ /

noun

1. an archaic word for coat of mail

Word History and Origins

Origin of byrnie¹

1325–75; Middle English byrny, Scottish variant of brynie, brinie < Old Norse brynja, cognate with Old English byrne coat of mail, Old High German brunnia

Word History and Origins

Origin of byrnie¹

Old English byrne ; related to Old Norse brynja , Gothic brunjō , Old High German brunnia coat of mail, Old Irish bruinne breast

Example Sentences

To begin with; the pyre in Beowulf is represented as hung with helmets, bright byrnies, and shields.

From Project Gutenberg

The King of Vali council takes, And a sad mistake made he; A name had he gained for courtesy and valour, But he never donned byrnie.

From Project Gutenberg

Ay once, and only once; it was that night when Gunnar sat with me in my bower; he crushed me in his arms till his byrnie burst, and then, then——!

From Project Gutenberg

While they were busking themselves for the journey, she brought them byrnies and helmets, so strong that iron could not scathe them.

From Project Gutenberg

I did so, and in that lay a most beautiful byrnie and helm, if anything better than those we had been choosing from.

From Project Gutenberg