A piece of armor that protects the leg from the knee to the ankle; a shin guard worn by medieval soldiers.
From Old French 'greve' (shinbone, shin armor), which came from Germanic roots possibly related to Old English 'gryfe'. The word traveled through Norman French into Middle English during the medieval period.
Knights didn't just wear one piece of armor—a full suit had greaves, gauntlets, cuirasses, and more! Greaves were crucial because legs were exposed in medieval combat, and a sword slash to the shin could end a warrior's career immediately.
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