manifer

English

Etymology

Manifer (mainfer, mainfere) ("gauntlet") and manefaire (mainfaire) ("horse's neck armor") are often taken to have originally been one word, attested in Middle English as mayndefer, maynfer, and maynefere in lists of armor used by men and their horses. Harold Dillon, 17th Viscount Dillon and Charles John ffoulkes take the meaning of "gauntlet" to be the original, from French main de fer (literally “hand of iron”); see manefaire (“horse's neck armor”) for more on that meaning.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmæn.ɪˌfɝ/, /ˈmæn.ə-/, /-fɛɚ/

Noun

manifer (plural manifers)

1. A large gauntlet worn over the bridle hand during jousting tournaments.
   • 1898, The Archaeological Journal, page 312:

     In addition to the ordinary tilting armour extra pieces were worn : The grandguard and volant piece, very often riveted together; the elbow or pasguard, and the manifer or miton gauntlet for the bridle hand.

   • 2003, Alan R. Williams, The Knight and the Blast Furnace: A History of the Metallurgy of Armour in the Middle Ages & the Early Modern Period, BRILL, →ISBN, page 805:

     (vii) The manifer (reinforcing bridle gauntlet for the tilt) was examined in cross-section. The microstructure shows tempered martensite and bands of ferrite, associated with corrosion cracks.

   • 2013, Edward Marston, The Roaring Boy, Allison & Busby, →ISBN:

     Even from that distance, the Master of the Armoury could see that the gauntlets were masterpieces of construction, the left one a manifer or bridle gauntlet, designed to cover hand and lower arm on the exposed side of the jouster.