habergeon means A sleeveless or short-sleeved coat of mail armour (a shorter hauberk). Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why this word is great
HABERGEON — [Noun] A sleeveless or short-sleeved coat of mail armor, shorter than a full hauberk. From Middle English hauberjoun, from Old French haubergeon (a diminutive of hauberc), from Early Medieval Latin (h)alsbergum, from a Germanic compound meaning 'neck-protector' (from hals 'neck' + berg 'protect'). Unlike a hauberk—a full-length carapace of interlinked rings—or a brigandine—a garment of discrete plates hidden under fabric—a habergeon is a pragmatic compromise: defense for the vitals that leaves the arms unburdened. It is the dull glint on a sergeant's shoulders under the noon sun, the manageable weight resting on a sweat-soaked gambeson, the weary chime of rings against a saddle pommel on a long ride; armor not for glory, but for the grinding, unheralded work of war.
noun
- A sleeveless or short-sleeved coat of mail armour (a shorter hauberk).“Their mightie ſtrokes their haberieons diſmayld, / And naked made each others manly ſpalles; […]”
- The quilted undergarment worn under a hauberk.“His quilted habergeon stuffed with cotton, gave him, indeed, an exterior almost herculean. What finally became of this brave belligerent I did not learn; but as he was never shy in exposing his person, it is very probable that[…]”
- A hauberk, any coat of mail, less commonly even a coat of scale armour.“The defensive armour, or coat of mail of a knight, or man at arms, (also called a hauberk or habergeon,) was[…]”