|brakən|ye(ə)r noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from Middle French braconniere, bragonniere, probably from Old Italian braconi, plural, wide breeches worn by halberdiers, aug. of braca breeches, from Latin braca — more at braccae
: a 16th century piece of armor for the thighs consisting of a short skirt of narrow hoop-shaped plates of steel overlapping one another and moving freely