byrnie

English

Alternative forms

• byrny

Etymology

From Middle English brinie, burne (whence also, without metathesis, obsolete English brinie), from Old Norse brynja. Cognates include Old English byrne, Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌿𐌽𐌾𐍉 (brunjō) (whence Old Church Slavonic брънѩ (brŭnję)), German Brünne, French broigne.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbɜːni/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbɝni/

Noun

byrnie (plural byrnies)

1. (historical) A short chain mail shirt, covering from the upper arms to the upper thighs.
   • 1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros‎^[1], London: Jonathan Cape, page 17:

     […] those that walked armed before the Witches’ booths, six in company, harnessed as for battle in byrnies of shining bronze, with greaves and shields of bronze and helms that glanced in the sun.

   • 1972, John Gardner, Grendel, André Deutsch, page 97:

     Unferth stood beside him, his huge arms folded on his byrnie.

   • 1992, Calvin B Kendall, Voyage to the Other World, University of Minnesota, page 19:

     The mail-coat, or byrnie, was made of iron links that probably were cut out of sheet metal with a die, or from flat hammered wire cut into short lengths.

Coordinate terms

• haubergeon
• hauberk

Translations

short chain mail shirt

• Czech: kroužková košile, osníř m
• Greek: ζάβα f (záva)
• Latin: lorica hamata f

Anagrams

• Birney, Briney, briney