cuisse

[ kwis ]

noun

, Armor.

1. a piece of armor or padding for protecting the thigh.

cuisse

/ kwɪʃ; kwɪs /

noun

1. a piece of armour for the thigh

Word History and Origins

Origin of cuisse¹

1275–1325; earlier also cush, plural cushies (the plural cush ( i ) e-s misanalyzed as cush- ( i ) es ), Middle English quissheu, kusheu, plural quyssewes, cusschewis < Old French quisseuz, cuisseus, plural of cuissel, equivalent to cuisse thigh (< Latin coxa hipbone) + -el noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of cuisse¹

C15: back formation from cuisses (plural), from Old French cuisseaux thigh guards, from cuisse thigh, from Latin coxa hipbone

Example Sentences

Then it went on to the greaves, the cuisses, and so up.

From Literature

William Randolph Hearst, one of the most enthusiastic collectors, had an entire armory in his Riverside Drive penthouse: enough pikes, halberds, helms, hauberks, greaves, gauntlets, cuisses and cuirasses to outfit a crusade.

From New York Times

The starter is foie gras on toast and salad, followed by duck – cuisse de canard, in honey.

From The Guardian

The pseudo-knights wore heavy leg protection: cuisses on their thighs, greaves on their calves, and pointed shoes called sabatons on their feet.

From Science Magazine

No wonder they rejoiced, when that clinking of sabres, and clashing of cuisses, declared the departure of Captain Scarthe and his following from the hostelry of the Saracen’s Head.

From Project Gutenberg