coat of mail

a long defensive garment made of interlinked metal rings; hauberk; byrnie.

Origin of coat of mail

1480–90; parallel to French cotte de mailles

Swung by the strong arms of the Alpine herdsmen it would cleave helmet, shield, or coat-of-mail,66 like pasteboard.

The Art of War in the Middle Ages A.D. 378-1515 |C. W. C. Oman
Then Dick held up the coat-of-mail, and the helmet, and the two-handed sword.

Tales From Scottish Ballads |Elizabeth W. Grierson
It was an early term for short coats, jackets, and a sort of coat-of-mail or defensive lorica, or upper garment.

The Sailor's Word-Book |William Henry Smyth
Thomas by his last will bequeathed the sword and coat-of-mail of this worthy to his son.

Myth-Land |F. Edward Hulme

Do you really believe what so many fools have said about me, viz, that I was in the habit of wearing a coat-of-mail?

Louisa Of Prussia and Her Times |Louise Muhlbach

coat of mail

a protective garment made of linked metal rings (mail) or of overlapping metal plates; hauberk