A piece of armor that covers the arm from shoulder to elbow, worn by medieval knights and soldiers.
From Old French 'brassard,' derived from 'bras' (arm), literally meaning 'arm piece.' The suffix '-ard' indicates something that covers or protects that body part.
Medieval warriors wore brassards for a reason—your arm is constantly moving in combat and exposed, so protecting it with armor made sense, but metal brassards were also heavy and limited movement, forcing knights to balance protection with mobility.
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