mentonnière

mentonnière (plural mentonnières)

(historical) An item of armor protecting the chin, often identified with or used interchangeably with the bevor.
- 1901, Wallace Collection (London, England), Sir Guy Francis Laking, Catalogue of the European Armour and Arms in the Wallace Collection at Hertford House, page 88:
  Tilting Helmet, composed of a closed helmet and large mentonière. The skull has a low roped comb, the chin piece opens down the front, the vizor is strongly reinforced by an extra plate on the forehead, […]

chin armor — see also bevor

“mentonnière”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
“mentonnière”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

From menton (“chin”) +‎ -ière.

mentonnière f (plural mentonnières)

(historical) beaver (lower part of a helmet)
- 1836, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, chapter XLV, in Louis Viardot, transl., L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche, volume I, Paris: J[acques]-J[ulien] Dubochet et C^ie, éditeurs, […], →OCLC:
  « Et je dis aussi que bien que ce soit un armet, ce n’est pas un armet entier. ¶ – Non certes, s’écria don Quichotte, car il lui manque une moitié, qui est la mentonnière. »
  "And I say that as much as it is a helmet, it is not an entire helmet" ¶ "Certainly not," exclaimed Don Quixote, "as it is missing a half, which is the beaver."
(music, lutherie) chinrest

English