Friday, November 09, 2012

Word of the Day -- Armor

Armor! Or Armour, if your prefer, or are from England or anywhere else other than the states for the most part.  This word has a long history, and is central to any good RPG, because it's root is based in "arms", meaning weaponry.  It ultimately comes from the Middle English, but it also has roots in French, as early as 1297 from the word armoire, which we use today to mean a wardrobe or cupboard.  Which in and of itself is a type of protective cloak for clothes.  So it really takes an interesting turn going from something that protects clothes to meaning a protective cloth (or other material) to protect humans, orcs, elves, etc. In the 15th century, the word armature came into play from arms and is closely related to armor, and it means an organ or structure (as teeth or thorns) for offense or defense.  

So you can see how all these words tie into together from the simple "arms" or "arma" as it was first used in Latin all those many years ago.  Examples of armor are wide and far; but you need look no further than our own little blog to see illustrations each day of armor.  So check them out and then next time you are putting your clothes away in your wardrobe after doing the laundry, you will know a little more than you did before.  :-)

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