byrnie
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Old Norse brynja. Compare Old English byrne, Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌿𐌽𐌾𐍉 ( > Old Church Slavonic брънѩ), German Brünne.
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈbɜːni/
[edit] Noun
byrnie (plural byrnies)
- (historical) A short chain mail shirt, covering from the upper arms to the upper thighs.
- 1972: Unferth stood beside him, his huge arms folded on his byrnie. — John Gardner, Grendel (André Deutsch 1972, p. 97)
- 1992: The mail-coat, or byrnie, was made of iron links that probably were cut out of sheet metal with a die, or from flat hammered wire cut into short lengths. — Calvin B Kendall, Voyage to the Other World (University of Minnesota 1992, p. 19)
