bevor

English

Armor with bevor.

Alternative forms

• beaver, bever

Etymology

From Middle English baviere, from Old French baviere (“child's bib”), from baver (“to slaver”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbivɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbiːvə/
• Homophones: beaver, Belvoir, bever
• Hyphenation: be‧vor

Noun

bevor (plural bevors)

1. (historical) A portion of plate armour to protect the lower face and the neck, typically in two parts, called upper bevor and lower bevor.

   Coordinate terms: (neck protector) gorget, ((lower) face protector) buffe, (face protector) visor

   • 1635, L. I. [pseudonym; John Lechmere], “The Third Argument was about the Killing Letter; out of Origen, […]”, in The Relection of a Conference Tovching the Reall Presence. Or A Bachelovrs Censvre of a Masters Apologie for Doctour Featlie, Douai: Lavrence Kellam, →OCLC, page 333:

     He who lookes you in the face, ſaith he ſees you, though the reſt of your bodie be within your cloathes, and if you, being an ὁωλομάχος a cataphract in your proteſtantiſh πανοπλία [panoplía, suit of armour] should for fear pull downe your beuer before you come into the liſt, your Aduerſarie for all that might light vpon your (  ) vnleſſe you bring with you Giges his ring, ſo to make your ſelf inuiſible; [...]

   • 2001, Paul B. Newman, Daily life in the Middle Ages, page 210:

     Since gorgets completely encircled the neck, they were usually more articulated than the bevors to allow for some movement of the neck and head. Bevors typically were open in back but extended up above the wearer′s jaw on the sides and front. Use of a bevor or a gorget depended upon the type of helmet the knight wore […] .

   • 2008, Christopher Gravett, Knight: Noble Warrior of England 1200-1600, page 233:

     For heavy field use a reinforcing breastplate was sometimes added, together with a wrapper over the upper bevor.

   • 2011, Kerrie Logan Hollihan, Elizabeth I, the People's Queen: Her Life and Times, 21 Activities, page 61:

     Many helmets had an upper part joined with hinges to a bevor, which protected the knight′s lower face and jaw.

Translations

plate armour protecting the lower face and neck

• French: bavière (fr) f
• German: Bart (de) m
• Italian: barbozza f
• Middle English: baviere
• Portuguese: barbote m
• Spanish: barbote (es) m

Further reading

• bevor on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

German

Etymology

From Middle High German bevor, bevorn, from Old High German bifora, biforan (“before”, adverb), from Proto-West Germanic *bifuranē. By surface analysis, be- +‎ vor. Cognate with English before.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bəˈfoːr/, [bəˈfoːɐ̯], [-ˈfɔɐ̯]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oːɐ̯

Conjunction

bevor

1. before

   Synonym: ehe

   Geh, bevor ich rasend werde.

   Go before I lose my temper.

Usage notes

• Like English before, the German conjunction is often followed by a redundant negation, particularly in common speech. Therefore the following two sentences mean the same:

  Du kriegst keinen Nachtisch, bevor du alles aufgegessen hast.

  Du kriegst keinen Nachtisch, bevor du nicht alles aufgegessen hast.

  You won’t get any dessert before you’ve eaten up everything.

Adverb

bevor

1. (obsolete) before [until 18th c.]

   Synonyms: vorher, davor, zuvor

Further reading

• “bevor” in Duden online
• “bevor” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache