/kwis/ , n. Armor.
a piece of armor or padding for protecting the thigh.
Also, cuish /kwish/ . See diag. under armor .
[ 1275-1325; earlier also cush, pl. cushies (the pl. cush ( i ) e-s misanalyzed as cush- ( i ) es ), ME quissheu, kusheu, pl. quyssewes, cusschewis quisseuz, cuisseus, pl. of cuissel, equiv. to cuisse thigh ( coxa hipbone) + -el n. suffix ]