schynbald

English

Etymology

From Middle English schynbalde, schynbawde, from shin. The second element may be Old French baldrel, baudrel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɪn.bɔld/, /ʃɪn.bɔd/

Noun

schynbald (plural schynbalds)

1. (historical) A piece of plate armor (from the 1200s to the 1400s) for the lower leg (shin): a metal plate, often strapped over mail or padding, now especially one which did not completely enclose the lower leg like a greave might.
   • 2012, David Nicolle, Witold Sarnecki, Medieval Polish Armies 966–1500, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 34:

     […] early leg defence, such as poleyns and schynbalds, can be seen on the incised tomb-slab of Pakoslaw of Mstyczów, which was made around 1319 (see page 21).

Further reading

• Claude Blair (1972) European Armour: Circa 1066 to Circa 1700: “[…] they are frequently referred to in English texts as schynbalds. For the sake of consistency I propose to confine greave to the defence that completely encloses the leg and to use schynbald to denote the [one that does not].”