Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A medieval shield large enough to protect the whole body.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Mil. Antiq.) A large heavy oblong shield covering the whole body, carried by a pavisor, who sometimes also screened an archer with it. It was originally carried but sometimes set up in permanent position.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun history, medieval A large
shield carried in front to protect the whole body of the soldier.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun (Middle Ages) a large heavy oblong shield protecting the whole body; originally carried but sometimes set up in permanent position
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Middle English, from Old French pavais, from Old Italian pavese, from Pavia.]
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Examples
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A pavis is a medieval shield of the sort made in Pavia. back
Architecture and Memory: The Renaissance Studioli of Federico da Montefeltro 2008
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Beside her, as part of an alternating sequence of passive and active virtues, Fortitude is dressed for battle with mace and pavis in hand. 52 30
Architecture and Memory: The Renaissance Studioli of Federico da Montefeltro 2008
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