Authors: K.M. Weiland
Tags: #Christian, #fiction, #romance, #historical, #knights, #Crusades, #Middle Ages
Behold the Dawn (40 page)
Bodkin
: A slender arrowhead, capable of piercing armor.
Bondman
: Man who is enslaved or a serf.
Boon
: A gift or favor from someone.
Buckler
: Small round shield either worn on the forearm or held by a short handle at arm’s length.
Bugbear
: Monster invented to frighten children, traditionally in the form of a bear that eats those who misbehave.
Caparison
: Ornamental cover for a warhorse.
Capon
: Rooster castrated to improve its growth and the quality of its flesh for eating.
Cassock
: Full-length, usually black robe worn by priests and their assistants.
Charger
: Large, strong cavalry horse.
Charnel house
: Building or vault in which bones or dead bodies are placed.
Charwoman
: Servant woman employed to clean.
Coffer
: Strong chest or box used for keeping money or valuables safe; also used as both a seat and a bed.
Couch
: To lower (a lance) into attack position.
Courser
: Swift horse, used for hunting; also refers to a warhorse, when destrier is used specifically for competitive mounts.
Courtier
: Aristocrat who frequents a royal court or attends a king or queen.
Cowl
: Hood of a cloak, particularly one worn by a monk.
Crenellation
: Small open notches in a battlement.
Cudgel
: Short heavy club.
Destrier
: Warhorse, the most expensive mount; usually a stallion; similar to a modern heavy hunter.
Dirk
: Dagger with a long blade.
Equipage
: Equipment, particularly for equestrian use.
Ere
: Before.
Eucharist
: Symbolic or consecrated bread and wine consumed during the ceremony of Communion.
Fain
: (to do something) With gladness or eagerness.
Forecastle
: Raised deck at the bow of a ship.
Forte
: Strongest section of a sword’s blade, between the middle and the hilt.
Fortnight
: Two weeks.
Frankish Syrian
: European native of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, primarily of French descent.
Gauntlet
: Glove with a long wide cuff that covers and protects the forearm.
Goodwife
: Title of respect for a married woman who is the mistress of a household.
Great Hall
: Main room in a castle, used for most of daily living, including eating, entertaining guests, working, and occasionally sleeping.
Great helm
: Large, heavy helmet with faceplate which covers the entire face and neck.
Griffin
: Monster with the head and wings of an eagle and the body and tail of a lion; a symbol used in heraldry.
Haft
: Handle of a knife, ax, or other weapon or tool.
Hand
: Unit of measurement, equal to the width of a man’s hand, approximately four inches.
Hawser
: Cable for mooring or towing a ship.
Hermit
: Someone who chose to reject material things and live apart from the rest of society, in order to completely devote his life to God.
Hospitaler
: Member of the Knights of the Hospital of St. John, a religious military order founded in the late 11th century by European crusaders to care for sick pilgrims in Jerusalem.
Inglenook
: Recess for a seat or bench beside a large fireplace.
Jerkin
: Close-fitting sleeveless outer tunic.
Jongleur
: Wandering minstrel who sang the compositions of troubadours or recited epic poems in noble households or royal courts.
Ken
: Knowledge (n.); know (v.).
Kirtle
: Woman’s long loose gown, often worn visibly beneath another garment.
Knave
: Man who is considered dishonest and deceitful.
Lance
: Long spear carried by cavalry in battle.
Larboard
: Port (left) side of a vessel.
Lists
: Area of combat in a medieval tournament, enclosed by a fence of high stakes; often used as an arena to settle private quarrels and matters of honor.
Livery
: Identifying uniform worn by members of a group or trade, especially men and boys who are feudal retainers or servants of a household.
Lute
: Instrument resembling a guitar but with a flat, pear-shaped body.
Mace
: Heavy club with a round spiked metal head.
Maid
: Unmarried woman.
Man-at-arms
: Mounted, heavily armed soldier.
Matins
: Dawn prayer service.
Mayhap
: Perhaps.
Melee
: Early form of tournament, in which teams of knights engaged each other; although varying rules of play were often instituted and holding prisoners for ransom was encouraged over killing, the contests differed little from real battles.
Mendicant
: Member of a religious order such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites, or Augustinians that forbids the ownership of property and encourages working or begging for a living.
Misericorde
: Small dagger, often used to deliver the
coup de grâce
.
Mohammedan
: Muslim.
Moslem
: Muslim.
Nakers
: Double drum.
Nigh
: Near.
Norman
: Native of Normandy, then under the rule of Richard I.
Paladin
: Any one of the twelve legendary companions of Charlemagne.
Palfrey
: Well-bred, easy-paced riding horse, often used by squires and women.
Penance
: Sacrament in which a person confesses sins to a priest and is forgiven after performing an assigned religious devotion or duty.
Penitent
: Someone performing penance.
Pike
: Spear-like weapon used by foot soldiers.
Pilgrimage
: Journey to a holy place, undertaken for religious reasons, often in search of absolution or miraculous healing.
Pillion
: Cushion mounted behind a saddle, on which a second person, usually a woman, rides.
Poleax
: Battle ax with a long or short handle, especially one with a hammer or spike opposite the ax blade.
Poniard
: Small dagger with a slim blade, the cross section of which is triangular or square.
Postulant
: Someone who applies to join a religious order.
Quarrel
: Short, square-headed bolt or arrow used in a crossbow.
Quarterdeck
: Rear part of a ship’s upper deck.
Quarterstaff
: Stout, iron-tipped pole, six to eight feet long, used as a weapon.
Quean
: Woman of loose morals.
Retainer
: Soldier or other person who fought under or was dependent on someone of high rank.
Saddlebow
: Arch at the front of a saddle.
Saracen
: Muslim who fought in the Crusades.
Scimitar
: Turkish sword with a curved blade that broadens out as it nears the point.
Score
: Twenty.
Scriptorium
: Room in a monastery for storing, copying, illustrating, or reading manuscripts.
Shawm
: Woodwind instrument with a double reed; predecessor of the modern oboe.
Siege tower
: Rectangular, wheeled tower constructed to protect assailants while approaching the walls of a fortification.
Span
: Unit of measurement, equal to the distance from the tip of the thumb to the little finger of a man’s outspread hand, approximately nine inches.
Squire
: Young apprentice who acted as an attendant to a knight.
Surcoat
: Tunic worn over armor, often emblazoned with the wearer’s coat of arms.
Tabard
: Surcoat.
Templar
: Member of a Christian military order founded in Jerusalem in 1119 to protect pilgrims after the First Crusade.
Tonsure
: Shaved patch on the crown of a priest or monk’s head.
Tournament
: Sporting contest in which knights took part in single and mass combat; popular despite the Church’s ban in 1130.
Tourney
: Tournament.
Tourneyer
: Competitor in a tourney.
Trencher
: Large slice of day-old bread used as a plate, then given to the poor.
Troubadour
: Writer or singer of lyric verses about courtly love.
True Cross
: Believed to be pieces of the cross upon which Christ was crucified; captured by Saladin at the Battle of Hattin in 1187.
Varlet
: Rogue or rascal; also, specifically, a servant.
Viand
: Food, particularly in reference to provisions.
War hammer
: Shafted weapon with a spiked hammer head.
Wedge tent
: Triangle-shaped tent featuring two upright poles and one ridge pole.
Wimple
: A cloth covering for a woman’s head and neck.
Yeoman
: Member of a class of commoners who owned and cultivated their own land.
About the Author
K.M. WEILAND’S FASCINATION with the Middle Ages began during childhood with stories of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. A lifelong fan of history and the power of the written word, she enjoys sharing both through her novels and short stories. She blogs at
Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors
(wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com) and
AuthorCulture
(authorculture.blogspot.com). She lives in western Nebraska. Visit her website: kmweiland.com.
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