a piece of defensive armour made of iron plate, well hammered, and serving to cover the body, from the neck to the girdle, both before and behind. Some derive the word from the Italian cuore, the heart, because the cuirasse covered that part; others from the French cuir, or the Latin corium, leather, because defensive arms were originally made of leather. Cuirasses were not brought into use till about the year 1300, though they were known in different forms, both to the ancient Greeks and Romans.