A close-fitting tunic or coat of mail worn as armor in medieval times, often padded or made of interlocking metal rings.
From Old French cotte, derived from Frankish *kotta. The word originally meant a simple tunic but evolved to describe the protective undergarment worn beneath plate armor or as standalone armor.
Knights wore cottes under their shiny armor because the armor alone would actually hurt more—the padded cotte absorbed impact and prevented the metal from squishing your ribs!
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