passguard

Meaning

Noun

• An L-shaped piece of armor worn over one arm (typically the left arm), which generally kept it in a bent position and protected it during jousts.
• A ridge or an additional plate on a shoulder piece, to turn the blow of a weapon away from the neck or joint of the armor.

Origin

• French passe-garde ("armor projecting up from a shoulder-piece"). It has been suggested that the application of the term (in both English and French) to neck guards is in error.