garde de rein

From French garde des reins.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑɹd də ɹɛn/, /ɹeɪn/

garde de rein

1. (historical) An item of armor which hangs down from the backplate to protect the kidneys and buttocks.

   Synonyms: culet, hoguine

   • 1815, P. Dick, A Descriptive Catalogue of a Museum of Antiquities and Foreign Curiosities, page 19:

     A complete Suit of Plate Armour Consisting of the Helmet with rising Beaver and Gorget, the Cuirass with the Garde de Rein or Culettes, the Pouldrons or shoulder pieces, the Brassarts or vambraces for arms, the Groussets for the ...

   • 1821, Archaeologia: Or Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity, page 144:

     ... with a garde de rein of several overlapping pieces to protect behind from one hip to the other, and a similar guard in front, which Pere Daniel terms tassettes, a word of German imposition, from their covering the pockets ...

   • 1894, Exhibition of Venetian Art: The New Gallery, Regent Street, 1894-5, page 95:

     ... and backplate with small garde de rein; pauldrons, coudrés rere and vambraces; mitten gauntlets with marked fingers; high gorget; tasses reaching to the knee; and unusually large palettes, the projecting spike in the centre ...

   • 1908, Royal United Service Institution (Great Britain). Museum, Official Catalogue of the Royal United Service Museum, Whitehall, S.W., page 175:

     Suit of Armour, Pikeman, of the 17th century, consisting of casque, gorget, breast-piece, back-piece, and garde de rein.

   • 2013, James R. Planche, An Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Costume, Courier Corporation, →ISBN, page 56:

     The Back-plate of blue Steel, with Culette or Garde de Rein attached.