Cuirass
n. pl. Cuirasses(-ĕz)- (Zoöl) An armor of bony plates, somewhat resembling a cuirass.
- A piece of defensive armor, covering the body from the neck to the girdle
- The breastplate taken by itself.
The cuirass covered the body before and behind. It consisted of two parts, a breast- and backpiece of iron fastened together by means of straps and buckles or other like contrivances. It was originally, as the name imports, made of leather, but afterward of metal.
