A piece of armor that protects the lower face and chin; also spelled 'beaver' in reference to this part of a helmet.
From Old French 'baviere,' which comes from 'bave' meaning 'drool' or 'foam'—because the bevor was worn on the mouth area. The word entered English in the 15th century during the height of plate armor use, with the spelling 'bevor' becoming the technical term for heraldic and armor discussions.
It's hilarious that a piece of armor protecting your mouth area comes from a word meaning 'drool'—medieval French speakers apparently had a sense of humor about the awkward fact that even armored knights got sweaty and drooled! The word survived in specialized armor terminology while 'beaver' took over in general use.
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