the.com/vambrace
the forearm's personal bodyguard, turning a sword's best argument into a frustrating clang.
means A piece of plate armor that protects the forearm, worn between the elbow and the wrist.
from From Old French avant-bras, literally 'fore-arm' — avant ('before, in front of') plus bras ('arm'). English chewed the word down over time, dropping the 'a' so avant-bras became vambrace, the armorer's term for the guard that sits in front of your arm. Its cousin the 'rerebrace' (from arrière-bras, 'behind-arm') guarded the upper arm — the two together encasing the limb like a steel sleeve.
- name origin
- From French avant-bras, meaning before the arm.
- roman roots
- Gladiators wore manica, layered metal precursors to vambraces.
- archer's friend
- Leather versions protect bowstring-snapped forearms, not just swords.
- paired up
- Often joined with rerebraces guarding the upper arm.
- modern life
- Wonder Woman's bullet-deflecting bracers are pure vambrace.
henry viii's armour vambrace — royal armouries, leeds — ornate steel forearm guard from tudor period, circa 1520
japanese samurai kote — metropolitan museum — layered silk and metal arm protection, edo period example