genouillere

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Milit.: The kneepiece, of hammered iron, introduced toward the close of the thirteenth century, and worn at first over the chausses of mail, being held in place by a strap passing round the leg, and consisting at first of a dish-shaped or slightly pointed roundel.
2. n. An articulated piece forming a part of the jambe or of the cuissart in the fourteenth century, and later furnished with large wings which projected backward on each side of the knee-joint.
3. n. In fortification: The part of the interior slope of the parapet below the sill of an embrasure, serving to cover the lower part of the gun-carriage.
4. n. The height of the parapet above the banquette in a barbette battery.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Anc. Armor) A metal plate covering the knee.
2. n. (Fort.) That part of a parapet which lies between the gun platform and the bottom of an embrasure.