Forms: 3–6, (9) armure, 4–5 armur, 4– armour; also 4 aarmour, aarmer, 4–5 armer, armowr(e, 4–6 -oure, 4–9 armor, 5 armeure, -ewr(e, -ore, 5–6 armeur. [a. OF. armeüre (13th c. armure):—L. armātūra ARMATURE. The current spelling in -our is not etymological, the termination being the same as in vest-ure.]
1. collect. sing. Defensive covering worn by one who is fighting; mail. Cf. ARM sb.2 1.
1297. R. Glouc., 397. He & hys armure were þoru out hot.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. II. 155. May non Armure hit lette.
c. 1485. Digby Myst. (1882), I. 352. Harneysed in armour of plate and maile.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 824. Aȝaine his strok resistit non armour.
1667. Milton, P. L., VI. 209. Arms on Armour clashing.
1718. Pope, Iliad, III. 407. Beside each chief his azure armour lay.
1880. Disraeli, Endym., lix. Prince Florestan, in a suit of blue damascened armour.
† 2. (with a pl.) A suit of mail. Obs. (Cf. 7.)
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XI. 76. Wapnys and armowris purvayit thai.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 278/1. He had … armours ynowe for to garnysshe with seuen thousand men.
1569. Tract, in Grocers’ Comp. (1869), 75. Rich and costly armours, guilt and engrauen.
1635. Brereton, Trav., 140. Furnished with about sixty or seventy armours for horse.
1681. Trial S. Colledge, 38. Did he discourse anything to you about Arms … Yes, he did, I had an Armour from him.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., s.v., A compleat Armor antiently consisted of a casque or helm, a gorget, cuirasse, gantlets, tasses, brassets, cuisses, and covers for the legs.
† 3. collect. sing. with pl. Military equipment or accoutrement, both offensive and defensive, in the widest sense; the whole apparatus of war. Obs. exc. in Law.
a. 1300. Becket, 955. Other armure nadde he none, for holi churche to fiȝte.
1388. Wyclif, 1 Sam. xx. 40. Jonathas ȝaf hise armeris to the child.
1460. Capgrave, Chron., 195. This herd the Kyng, and stuffid the Toure with vitaile and armoure.
1489. Caxton, Faytes of Armes, II. xxxv. 151. With the same armewres they deffended and kepte theyre cyte.
1618. Bolton, Florus (1636), 319. The armours of the vanquisht were not consumed with fire.
1759. Dumaresque, in Phil. Trans., LI. 485. Their armour for war is a bow and arrows.
1809. Tomlins, Law Dict., s.v., Nor go armed, in affray of the peace, on pain to forfeit their armour.
† b. in obs. phrases in which arms is the usual word; cf. ARM sb.2 4.
1563. Homilies, II. xxi. I. (1859), 559. Subjects who … take armour wickedly … to break the publique peace.
1570. Holinshed, Scot. Chron. (1806), I. 73. The people … were up in armour against the King. Ibid., 102. Rising up in armour against him. Ibid. (1577), Chron., I. 85/1. Caused the trumpet to sound to armor.
1577. Hanmer, Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619), 41. The Jewes beganne … to take up Armour against the Romans.
† 4. The exercise or employment of arms; warfare, fighting, active hostilities. Cf. ARM sb.2 6. Obs.
1387. Trevisa, Higden, Rolls Ser. II. 275. Nynus bare out armour [arma foris extulit.] Ibid., IV. 41. Þe Romaynes hadde imeoved noon armour wiþoute Italy.
1526. Bp. Clerk, To Wolsey, in MS. Cott. Calig., D ix. 104. For a suspention off armeur.
1589. Warner, Alb. Eng., VI. xxxii. (1612), 159. She armour still pursu’d. Ibid. (1602), Epit., Insurrections, and ciuill-armor.
5. fig. from prec. senses; but now only from 1.
1340. Ayenb., 203. Þet is þe armure þet þe dyeuel dret mest.
1382. Wyclif, Rom. vi. 13. Neither ȝyue ȝe ȝoure membris aarmours [Tindale & 1611 instruments, Genev. weapons] of wickidnesse to synne. Ibid., xiii. 12. Be we clothid with the armeris of liȝt.
1526. Tindale, ibid. Let vs put on the Armoure of lyght. [So subseq. vers.]
1597. J. Payne, Royal Exch., 37. Put on the whole armor of God.
1667. Milton, P. L., XII. 491. And also arme With spiritual Armour.
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 114, ¶ 7. Putting on unnecessary Armour against improbable Blows of Fortune.
1822. Byron, Werner, I. i. Suspicion is a heavy armour.
6. transf. in Naut. a. = ARMING vbl. sb. 2 (obs.). b. The steel or iron sheathing of a ship of war. See ARMOUR-PLATE.
1466. Mann. & Househ. Exp., 351. Blanket for sheldes for toppe armore of the kervelle xiiijd.
1870. in Eng. Mech., 7 Jan., 396/2. A belt of armour … to protect broadside guns.
1883. Times, 27 Aug., 3/5. Three balls penetrated the armour of the Bayard.
7. A diver’s water-tight suit; (cf. 2.)
1822. Burrowes, Cycl., IV. 175/1. In the year 1617 Francis Kessler gave a description of his water-armour, intended also for diving.
1869. Eng. Mech., 1 Oct., 39/1. The best armours now in use are those made of rubber and canvas…. The use of this bell has been superseded by the submarine armour.
8. Nat. Hist. Protective or defensive covering of animals or plants; abst. protection, defence (obs.).
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. vii. § 7. The firmness of hides is for the armour of the body against extremities of heat or cold.
1647. Cowley, Mistr., Request, vi. Piercing the armour of their [i.e., Fishes] Scales.
1814. W. Taylor, in Month. Mag., XXXVIII. 148. Thy burnish’d armure speck with glossier jet.
1854. Owen, in Orr’s Circ. Sc., Org. Nat., I. 165. In these colossal armadillos the trunk-armour was in one immovable piece.
† 9. Magnetism. = ARMATURE 6 a. Obs.
1730. Savery, in Phil. Trans., XXXVI. 333. Touched on the soft Armour of a Magnet.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., The usual armour of a loadstone.
10. Heraldic insignia or devices. Coat armour = ‘coat of arms,’ originally a vest of silk or other rich material embroidered in colors, worn over the armor of a knight, to distinguish him in the lists or on the field of battle. Cf. ARM sb.2 14.
c. 1340. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 585. With ryche cote armure.
c. 1384. Chaucer, H. Fame, 1326. Euery man … Had on him throwen a vesture Whiche that men clepyn a cote armure Enbrowded wonderly ryche.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XXII. 12. Þese aren cristes armes, Hus colours and hus cote-armure.
1548. Hall, Chron., 87. To colouren or hiden in any maner tho [? the] armures.
1628. Coke, On Litt., 18 b. If a Nobleman haue his coat armor and Pennions with his armes.
1679–88. Secr. Serv. Moneys Chas. II. (1851), 43. For a suite of silk armour 31 li.
1683. Luttrell, Brief Rel., I. 264. A pair of pistolls, and an armour made of silk.
¶ For ARMER or ARMOURER.
1550. Crowley, Epigr., 426. He turneth no manne To profite or gayne Except it be the surgian, or the armore.
1629. S’hertogenbosh, 38. We brought also in the Towne many armours, and a Serjeant of theirs.
11. Comb. and Attrib., as armour-joint, -work; armour-fish (see quot.); armour-proof a., as impenetrable as armor, or ? proof against weapons; armour-wise adv., in the manner of armor. Also ARMOUR-BEARER, -CLAD, -PLATE, q.v.
1748. Phil. Trans., XLV. 170. Cataphractus Americanus, the Armour-Fish … less than a Foot in length, and four Inches broad.
1878. Browning, Two Poets Croisic, cvii. Stabbed … through the armour-joints!
1664. H. More, Myst. Iniq., Apol. 561. They that believe all things alike … shall be armour-proof.
1875. Browning, Aristoph. Apol., 240. That which himself went wearing armour-wise.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., I. 2. [The Flea’s] head, body, and limbs also, be all of blackish armourwork.
