poitrine

English

Etymology

French poitrine or a Middle or Old French predecessor.

Pronunciation

• (anglicized) IPA^(key): /ˈpɔɪ.tɹin/
• (gallicized) IPA^(key): /ˌpwɑˈtɹin/

Noun

poitrine (plural poitrines)

1. (historical) The breastplate of a knight's armour.
2. Synonym of poitrel (“chest-armor for a horse”)
   • 1924, Albert Frederick Calvert, Spain: An Historical and Descriptive Account of Its Architecture, Landscape, and Arts, page 58:

     The horse-armour of the harnesses (A37-38), on the contrary, seems to have been made for the Emperor Maxmilian, […] The ear-coverings of the one are shaped like rams ' horns, and the poitrine, or breast-plate, is embossed with grotesque faces.

   • 1936, Frank Gair Macomber, Arms and Armor, Oriental and European Examples of the XV to XVIII Centuries: Valuable Gothic and Renaissance Tapestries

     IMPORTANT Suit of TURKISH HORSE ARMOR XV Century

     Composed of : chanfron, neck defences, poitrine, croupiere and side pieces of rectangular plates of steel joined by riveted links of mail; saddle, bridle, and stirrups.

3. Chest, bosom, especially of a woman.
   • 2018, Jerome Bixby, Devilish Tales: A collection of droll, teasing and very wicked fantasies, Digital Parchment Press

     Full red lips and a patrician nose, and a delicately formed but ample poitrine that curled Pierre's hands into iron hooks beneath the counter. "Forgive me, kind sir," she said, in a voice like music in a bedroom, […]

   • 2008, Leslie Carroll, Royal Affairs: A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures That Rocked the British Monarchy, Penguin (→ISBN), page 326:

     Her bodices fully covered her ample poitrine right up to her nonexistent neck.

   • 2010, Dick Cavett, Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets, Macmillan (→ISBN)

     (She points to her ID badge, situated on her ample poitrine, allowing my next unforgivable remark.) DC: Men don't have those.

Related terms

• poitrinal, poitrel
• petronel
• pectoral

Anagrams

• pointier

---

French

Etymology

From Old French peitrine, from Vulgar Latin *pectorīna from the Classical Latin pectus. Gradually replaced pis, now meaning udder. Compare Spanish pretina (“waistband”), which is cognate.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pwa.tʁin/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

poitrine f (plural poitrines)

1. chest (of body)

   Il a la poitrine velue.

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. breast (of body)
3. breast (of poultry, as meat)

Derived terms

• angine de poitrine
• fluxion de poitrine
• tour de poitrine
• voix de poitrine

 

Related terms

• expectorer
• pectoral
• pis
• poitrail

See also

• sein

Further reading

• “poitrine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.