Glossary L-Z laingtjat: flail that consists of two wooden rods, one about half the length of the other, attached together by a short chain, often the shorter rod is sharpened lames: narrow overlapping plates used to make the flexible parts of an armour lantern shield: Itallian shield weapon; consisted of a round buckler-type shield to which was attached a number of offensive weapons; handle projected from the inside of the forward edge of the shield which was grasped by the hand, protected by plate gauntlet; center of the shield was fitted with a projecting spike; also made with a fitting in front and the necessary hardware in back so a small lantern could be attached to it (lanterns used by some fencers in effort to dazzle opponents) lariat: 1. rope lasso used to entrap and ensnare; used both hands 2. Indian parrying shield/weapon consisting of a leather or iron shield fastened over a curving pair of buckhorns which point in opposite directions of one another; often the horns are steel tipped latten: Brass, Bronze or a mixture of the two; generally a copper base metal with elements of tin or zinc plus other trace elements; often used to create armor with or to decor armor leonile: hardwood club lil-lil: wooden fighting club from Australia; usually elaborately carved lisan: Egyptian club or throwing stick made of palm wood lohangi: Indian mace consisting of a bamboo shaft bound with strips of iron below where the head is attached lohar: small, steel fighting pick normally inlaid with silver and brass lute: string musical instrument, shaped like half a pear and similar to a guitar, with six to thirteen strings mabobo: long, wooden club with a rounded head and squared handle macana: club made of wood and having a rectangular section; the grip was covered with woven cane, and the head sometimes fitted with a stone blade; these clubs were sometimes thrown mace: A short mass weapon similar to a heavy club. mace & chain: European flail consisting of a spiked metal ball attached to a wooden handle by means of a chain machera: bronze Greek cutting sword with a straight single-edged blade; pommel was frequently in the form of an animal's head mail: 1. interwoven links of iron wire riveted together to form a kind of defensive metal cloth, highly resistant to slashing but less effective against piercing or crushing wounds main gauche: left-hand daggers for rapier dueling mandehi liguje: (coup stick) wooden spear manople: gauntlet sword consisting of a double-edged blade with two short, curved side blades manpau: head-hunting sword which has a tanged steel blade that is slightly curved; hilt was made of wood or deer horn, with no hand guard manriki-gusari: metal parrying chain with weighted ends; used with one weight in each hand mantle: a loose, sleeveless cloak or cape mantling: cloth decor suspended from a helmet, commonly illustrated in armorial artwork manor: 1. a small holding, typically 1200-1800 acres, with its own court and probably its own hall, but not necessarily having a manor house; generally held by a knight 2. unit of rural lordship, varying greatly in size maquahuilt: wooden club with obsidian blades set around its edges martel de fer: war hammer with a metal mallet shaped head attached to a wooden handle masakari: battle-axe with a heavy metal head and a point opposite the blade, attached to a wooden handle by a socket masse: club-like weapon most often used in tournaments massuelle: small, all metal mace; normally had four blades on the head mattina: wooden club with shark's teeth fitted into opposite sides of the head maul (or mallet): a hammer-type weapon, with a heavy leaden head on a five-foot wooden shaft; usually made entirely of wood and used with two hands mazule: steel European mace with a pear-shaped, multi-bladed head meat cleaver: butcher's tool for chopping meat; has a tanged metal blade fitted into a wooden handle meeri: wooden club with two short spikes on the end mentok: sword with a slightly curved blade and a guardless wooden hilt merai: (maori) jade club; usually consisted of one to three metal heads attached to a wooden handle by chains metacarpal: defense for back of the hand, usually a part of a gauntlet metsubishi: Japanese weapon designed to blind an enemy; small, wooden box, either round or square, which was hollowed out and could be opened; either end of the flat box was fitted with a mouthpiece and a short tube; substances put into the box depending on desired outcome- ground pepper and dust could blind miner's axe: European axe consisting of a socketed steel head fitted onto a wooden handle; often elaborately decorated and carried as symbols of rank minstrel: poet and singer, also called a jongleur mongwanga: iron throwing knife monocle: an eyeglass for one eye moot: court or meeting, common names for town courts morning star: 1. form of mace, consisting of a spiked metal ball attached by a chain to a short metal shaft 2. Five foot long club, its head studded with iron spikes mugdar: thick, lead-weighted, wooden club muragugna: wooden club with a deeply grooved head nagan: sword with a serrated edge; hilt is padded and fitted with a spiked pommel nagegama: 1. iron Japanese chain weapon that consists of a short sickle-like blade attached to a short handle which the chain is attached; thrown down upon attackers and then drawn up by the chain; two handed weapon 2. small metal throwing rod or knife 3. throwing iron resembling a small axe head nawaz khani: slightly curved Indian sword with a disk pommel and reinforced back nil-li: wooden club with a grooved striking head; end is pointed for use in stabbing novacula: sickle-like tool consisting of a tanged, iron head fitted into a wooden handle nunchaku: grain thresher, or flail, used both as a weapon of defense and offense; consists of two short wooden sticks joined together at one end by a short length of rope, leather or chain; normally a two- handed weapon oilskin: an oiled waterproof cloth used for coverings and garments oncin: one-sided pick which has a socketed metal head fitted into a wooden handle and was used with both hands ox mace: mace made of metal; head was shaped like that of an ox's and often had holes in the nostrils so that it whistled when swung pacho: (tebutje) wooden club from the South Pacific with shark teeth edges pagaya: wooden, paddle-shaped club from Brazil pahisa: sword with a broad, double-edged blade which widens at the tip pahu: wooden club from New Zealand pakayun: curved sword with a forked wooden pommel; blades were generally elaborately engraved palache: 17th century sword with a slightly curved blade and curved quillions; often highly decorated with gold and silver pantaloons: a bifurcated garment for a man, covering the body from the waist downwards, and consisting of breeches and stockings in one pappenheimer: European cut-and- thrust sword developed in the 17th century; hilt consisted of a pair of oval guards pierced with holes, recurved quillions, and a knuckle guard parang bedak: sword with a butcher knife-shaped blade and a guardless hilt parang nabur: sword with a metal blade and bone hilt; quillions and knuckle guard are made of brass or iron; hilt is generally highly ornamental parang pandit: sword with a straight double-edged blade and bent hilt pareh: stone axe in which head is attached to wooden handle by plant resin pattens: shoes, made with wooden soles set on iron rings, which raised the wearer above the wet and mud of the streets patu: short club made of basalt, bone, or jade pauldron: curved plate worn in pairs to protect the front and rear of the shoulder pavise: 1. large, free-standing shield on hinged support used by archers as protection when shooting 2. large rectangular shield carried by spearmen and used to provide cover for crossbowmen pedang: straight-bladed Malaysian sword with a cross guard pendjepit: metal combat pincers used to grab, twist, and tear the flesh of an enemy periperiu: long wooden club from Australia with a blunt striking end pernat: Russian mace consisting of an iron bead attached to a wooden handle petjut: whip/flail consists of a wooden handle with a shirt length of leather thong tipped with a ball of knotted leather or sometimes a metal sphere fastened at the end peudeneng: thin-bladed, curved bladed sword with a L-shaped hilt pike: long spear with small iron head plaque belt: military belt formed from interlocking metal plates or metal plates riveted to a leather base plate: A general term for iron defenses fashioned from sheet iron or steel. "Plate" defenses were during the Middle Ages first introduced during the late 13th century, first as reinforcing for mail defenses and later as defenses on their own. plombee: lead-weighted mace with a wooden handle podang: sword with a curved blade and a steel hilt with cross guards polearm: The general term for a group of pole-mounted weapons usually featuring a cutting or slashing weapon on one end. The halberd, guisarm, bill, bec-de-corbin, and poleaxe are all specific kinds of polearms. pommel: knob at the top of a sword-hilt, counterbalancing the weight of the blade poni: wooden club usually fitted with a woven cord grip pourpoint: an arming garment worn under or as an aketon pouwhenua: wooden staff flattened on one end and pointed on the other puhah bemoh: two-handed sword with a long steel blade and two hand guards puiouar: heavily curved indian sword with a metal hilt purijimala: wooden Australian club quaddara: Persian straight-bladed sword, often inlaid with gold; hilt is of horn with no guard quadrelle: small mace with four blades quarterstaff: polearm weapon which was merely a long wooded pole quillons: bar (usually iron) forming the crossguard of a sword or dagger quirriang-an-wun: throwing club similar to a boomerang quoit: steel Indian mace with a bead head of a heavy quoit and fitted with a hand guard rang-kwan: wooden club used primarily by women; long and is pointed at both ends rante: whipping chain designed to entangle an opponent's weapon or ensnare the legs or arms; usually a two-handed weapon rante ber gangedug: whipping chain with a T-shaped handle on one end and a sharpened metal rod on the other; parrying weapon designed to entangle an opponent's weapon or ensnare legs or arms reiterpallasch: Danish cavalry sword with a straight blade and guarded hilt rerebrace: defense for the upper arm (arm greaves) roundel: round metal attachment at the base of a polearm to keep the hands from sliding down the shaft and onto the blade rucksack: a kind of knapsack strapped over the shoulders rungu: club generally made of one piece of wood; handle was generally sharpened so it could be used as a stabbing weapon as well as a club sabar: Indian pick made of steel saboton (also called solleret): 1. an armored, pointed shoe 2. armor for the foot usually consisting of plates ending in a toecap 3. armor for the foot made of plate, mail, or other metal sai: Japanese parrying baton; an iron bar with a leather covered grip and two small side hooks mounted parallel to the bar; some sai had blades; often used in pairs saintie: steel Indian parrying weapon; metal spear with a hand guard mounted in the center; some had a small thrusting dagger concealed in the shaft sallet: a light, rounded helmet with projecting neckguard and, often, a visor, worn in the 15th century samite: a heavy silk fabric worn in the Middle Ages: it was sometimes interwoven with gold sapakana: hardwood club sapola: Indian sword with a curved blade and a forked point; pommel is decorated with the figure of a griffin sarissa: a polearm weapon measuring about 6 meters in length with a spear attached at the end; used for jabbing or throwing sassanid: straight single edged sword; unguarded straight hilt made of horn sa tjat koen: wooden three-sectioned Malaysian flail; used with both hands sauscitwerter: European hunting weapon normally used by the nobility; consisted of a hand-and-a-half hilt; could be used with one or two hands if necessary savage: axe that generally carried as a symbol of rank scabbard: a sheath or case to hold the blade of a sword or dagger schiavona: broadsword; used in the 16th century scbnepfer: slightly curved Swiss sword with a broad hand guard and a knuckle guard schestopjor: mace with a many-bladed metal head scimeter: broad-bladed curved sword with a small cross guard scribe: A person who copied books by hand before the invention of printing. scale armour: small rectangular plates of metal, attached to a leather or linen coat, lighter and more flexible than mail sego: metal parrying weapon; used to strike against the arms and head of the enemy shashpar: steel Indian mace with six blades and fitted with a hand guard shoka: African battle-axe; triangular metal bead is fitted into a hardwood handle by means of a short narrow tang senangkas bedok: slightly curved Malaysian sword with wide grooves in the blade shakujo yari: wooden staff with a removable and hidden straight, double-edged steel blades; requires both hands to use shamshir: heavily curved, thick bladed sword; generally quite simple, with no decoration shashqa: consists of a slightly curved single-edged blade fitted into an unguarded hilt sheaf arrow: heavy armour piercing arrow used by longbowmen at close range shinobi-zue: wooden staff with a concealed blade fitted on the end; two-handed weapon shotel: sword with a double-edged blade which had a diamond-shaped cross section; the extreme curvature of these swords made them nearly useless except for cuffing attacks shuko: iron palm guards with spikes on the palms for use with climbing; also used to parry sword strikes shuriken: metal knife or star siangkam: long metal arrowhead attached to wooden handles; used in pairs for thrusting and slashing sickle: mace made of steel; striking head is a heavy curved blade and thus the weapon resembles the various ancient sickle swords silepe: axe consisting of a wide blade which is connected to the wooden handle by a flat tang; wooden handle is sometimes reinforced by wire coils singa: steel boomerang sirohi: straight-bladed sword with a padded hilt, slightly curved examples exist also; often these weapons were highly decorated siwalapa: wooden club with a small cylindrical handle and a square striking head skull: crown of the helmet; the central defense for the upper portion of the head slung shot: (sap, or blackjack) club weapon consists of a lead weight with a flexible leather cover handle woven over it snood: 1. a tie or ribbon formerly worn around the hair, especially by young unmarried women 2. a netlike bag worn at the back of a woman's head to hold the hair sodang: broad-bladed Malaysian sword without a hand guard sopok: 1. wooden blowpipe with an iron spearhead attached to the end; used with two hands 2. shield weapon; small metal shield protecting the forearm to which was fitted a blade or spike sosunpattah: sword with a straight blade and a spiked pommel; often highly decorated with engravings spadroon: European cut-and-thrust sword with a light, flexible blade; double-edged near the point sparte: battle-axe consists of a broad socketed head fitted onto a wooden handle spatha: cavalry sword of the romans, between 36" - 40" in length, made from iron; double-edged blade spaulder: 14th and 15th century defense for the shoulder, featuring a small dished defense for the shoulder point and a number of lames extending down the arm spine sword: An Indian sword with a comb-like spring blade sporran: large purse or pouch usually made of leather or animal fur, attached to waist in front of the kilt when in full dress stechtarsche: small ribbed German shield laced to the left shoulder; sometimes these shields were made of cuirboille, painted, or gold leafed suan-tou-fung: metal Chinese mace with globular head sugarloaf: A transition helmet between the heaulm and the bascinet, where the skull of the helmet was pointed like a bascinet and the sides enclosed like a heaulm. sultani: slightly curved Indian sword with a hand guard surai: sword with a curved tip and spiked pommel surcoat: long flowing garment worn over armour taavish: stone axe with the wooden handle carved at the end to represent a man's head; stone blade is fitted into the handle and represents the tongue tabard: short, loose garment, open at the side and having short, wide sleeves, worn in 15th century by some knights taber: steel battle-axe tabar-i-zin: large two handed axe; socketed metal head fitted onto a wooden shaft takieh: short sword with a slightly curved blade and a broad pommel which could be used as a crutch; often these weapons were highly decorated takouba: straight, double-edged sword with no guard; its hilt is fitted with a crosspiece below the pommel tailbon: sword with a tanged blade fitted into a carved wooden handle with a cane grip talwar: sword with a curved blade and a padded hilt with a spiked pommel; often highly decorated; one of the oldest forms of Japanese swords, it consists of a double-edged straight blade and metal hilt; pommel is often in the shape of a ring tam: (tam-o'shanter, tammy) woolen cap of Scottish origin tambara: wooden club with two to four prongs at the end tan-kiev: metal, sword-like parrying weapon; square-sectioned metal bar with a swordlike hilt taper: European axe; socketed metal bead fitted onto a wooden handle targe: round or oval shield used by knights tartan: a plaid textile design of Scottish origin consisting of stripes of varying width and color usu. patterned to designate a distinctive clan tashi: curved sword which is essentially the same the katana, differences between the two are the fittings and the way they are worn - tashi is hung from the belt with the edge downward and the katana is thrust into the belt with the edge upward tasset (taces): 15th century defense for the hips that attached to the fauld; usually a plate of iron or steel, often featuring one or more fluted ribs and a thick rolled edge for strength tebutje: could be used as a sword or a club; made of light wood with shark teeth attached onto the edges of the club tebutje-pacho: heavy wooden club usually with obsidian or shark teeth edge for slashing; two-handed weapon tewha-tewha: wooden club with a long, tapering shaft and a quarter-circle shaped bead at one end; feathers were hung from the head to flick them in the face of an enemy in effort to confuse him thin axe: European piercing axe thinin: broad-bladed sword with an unguarded hilt; a European thrusting sword with a diamond-sectioned blade threadbare: shabby; worn down so that the threads show thrusting axe: European axe; head has a long point extending up for use in thrusting attacks tiara: a woman's crownlike headdress of jewels, flowers, etc. tiglun: club-like dagger made of ivory; might have been used by Eskimos tindil: wooden club tjabang: metal parrying weapon similar to the Sai toki kakauroa: fighting axe; usually with elaborately carved bone or wood handle tomahawk: North American Indian combat axe and pipe; usually has a narrow iron blade fitted with a pipe bowl opposite the blade, wooden handle is hollow and forms the pipe stem tonfa: wooden rice husking tool; as combat weapon it could block attacks when rested along the forearm; also used to jab or club tongia: axe with socketed iron head and a semicircular blade attached to a wooden handle; sometimes used as a missile toporok axe: Russian battle-axe torse: a colorful cloth worn around the crown of the helmet, from which the mantling was attached (used from the 13th century through the 15th, torses and mantling helped to identify knights in war and provided a colorful expressive tool for tournaments and pageants of the 15th century) trident: parrying weapon consisting of a L-shaped wooden handle to which a five-pronged horizontal head is attached trombash: wooden throwing stick with an angled end truncheon: 1. a short, thick staff, similar to a policeman's baton 2. European club made of wood tschekan: Russian war hammer with a steel head tuagh-gatha: Scottish battle-axe tungi: fighting axe with socketed steel head attached to a short wooden handle tunic: a loose, gownlike garment worn by men and women in ancient Greece and Rome 2. a blouselike garment extending to the hips or lower, usually gathered at the waist, often with a belt turban: headdress worn by men in the Levant and by most Mohammedans of the male sex, but also known to be worn by women in some Eastern cultures; consisting of a cap, and a sash, scarf, or shawl, usually of cotton or linen, wound about the cap, and sometimes hanging down the neck uchi-ne: 1. short throwing dart made of wood with a metal head 2. wooden throwing club udlimau: fighting adze of hardwood, had a stone point fixed with resin on the head uramanta: throwing stick made of wood vambrace: plate defense for the forearm veecharoval: Indian scythe-type weapon consisting of a curved, metal blade attached to a wooden handle venmuroo: battle-axe consisting of a tanged, steel head fitted into an ebony wood shaft which is reinforced with metal bands; often ornamented with silver and brass ventail: mail or plate skirts attached to bascinets to protect the throat (mostly used during the the 14th and 15th century) verdun: long European thrusting sword with a diamond or square-sectioned blade used in the 16th century vervelles: bronze, brass, or latten staples that attached to a bascinet to enable the leather cuff of an aventail to be secured to the helmet voulge: 1. a tool used for trimming trees 2. polearm weapon characterized by a broad axe-like blade with a single spike protrusion at the top, often attached to a wooden pole waddy: Australian wooden club wahaika: club made of wood or bone; often elaborately carved wairbi: womens' fighting club from Australia; made of wood wakerti: wooden paddle-shaped club wakizashi: 1. shorter of the two swords which make up the Japanese dai-sho 2. used in ritualistic suicide 3. African sword with a tanged metal blade fitted into a plain wooden hilt war hammer: piercing and impact weapon used in Europe; blunt hammerhead set opposite a pointed pick mounted on a wooden shaft watilikri: wooden throwing stick weerba: hardwood club from Australia wfrka: two-pronged wooden club from Australia woodsman's axe: common tool generally used with two hands; consists of a socketed metal head fitted onto a wooden handle xiphos: bronze sword with a tanged metal blade fitted into a plain wooden hilt yatagan: a long knife or short saber that lacks a guard for the hand at the juncture of blade and hilt; usually has a double curve to the edge and a nearly straight back yeamberren: wooden club with a large conical head zagbnal: steel pick or beaked axe from India; often engraved and inlaid with gold zweihander: (also called greatsword or two-handed sword) a two-handed sword that is extremely heavy and used for slashing rather than thrusting