cardiophylax
/ˌkɑɹ.di.əˈfɪ.læks/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
30
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
5
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A piece of body armour—originally a metal breastplate or pair of plates—worn in classical antiquity to protect the region of the heart. Typically circular or square discs, fastened by leather straps, used in Italy from the Villanovan and Etruscan periods (7th century BCE) and later by Roman Republican legionaries and gladiators such as provocatores.
Example Sentences
- "Near-synonym: pectorale"
- "On the other side of the cardiophylax, the surviving details indicate riders, possibly Dioscuri, within a frame of branches."
- "This is the cardiophylax, or heart protector, which Polybius tells us was worn in his own time by the poorer infantry, those who could not afford chain mail."
- "However, a cardiophylax appears on a fourth-century figurine recovered from southern Gaul at Nimes (Gard), raising the possibility that some Gallic warriors wore these forms of armour."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: -
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌkɑɹ.di.əˈfɪ.læks/
- British English: /ˌkɑː.diː.əˈfɪ.laks/
Inflected Forms
Frequently Paired Words
pectorale
cuirass
Synonyms
pectorale