gambeson
noun/ˈɡæm.bɪ.sən/
Etymology From Middle English gambison, from Old French gambeson, gambaison, from gambais, wambais (“quilted jerkin”), from Medieval Latin wambāsium (“doublet, waistcoat”), from Frankish *wamba (“abdomen, belly”), from Proto-Germanic *wambō (“belly, womb”): compare Middle High German wambeis, German Wams (“waistcoat, doublet”), from Old High German wamba (“stomach”). More at womb.
1
Historical A defensive garment formerly in use for the body, made of cloth stuffed and quilted, often worn as padding under armor.
- Although the gambeson was chiefly worn under the coat of mail, to protect the body from being bruised by the strokes of the sword or lance, a circumstance that might happen without a division of the mail, the verses quoted in the Siege of Karleverok, shew that it was sometimes worn as a fur coat, and ornamented with rich decorations.1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 18: