AEOLUS in Greek mythology, the god of the winds
AKETON a quilted garment of buckram worn under a mail-shirt and reaching to the knees
ALUM mineral salt used as a fixative by cloth manufacturers
ARGENT in heraldry, the color silver or white
AZURE in heraldry, the color blue
BALLISTA (PLURAL: BALLISTAE) a kind of huge crossbow, used for shooting missiles
BARB breed of horse that originated in Morocco, and was the mount of the Muslim Berber horsemen
BRACER a leather guard for the wrist, used in archery
BRAIES baggy linen drawers
BUR a small, round plate on a spear to protect the hand
BYZANTINE (ADJECTIVE) of Byzantium or Constantinople
CALTROPS iron balls with four sharp prongs (strewn on the ground to wound foot soldiers and horses)
THE CATEGORIES The Greek philosopher Aristotle argued that meaningful language consists of ten categories (substance, quantity, quality, relationship, place, time, position, equipment, and the active and passive tenses). Substance stands on its own; the other nine belong to substance and depend on it for their meaning.
CHAUSSES leggings made of mail
CHIN-PIE rubbing the chin (usually someone else’s) with the hand until it feels hot
CITOLE a stringed instrument, similar to a lyre
COLLOPS small slices of meat
COSTREL a large bottle with an ear so it can hang from a waist-belt
COWSLOP Middle March name for cowslip
CRUCK-ROOF a roof with a framework made of pairs of curved and arched timbers
CUISSES thigh-guards made of quilted linen, worn over the chausses
DAMSON a small plum with a dark purple or black skin
DESTRIER a warhorse
EXCOMMUNICATION a sentence of exclusion from the communion of the Church, including the sacraments
FARRIER a man who shoes horses
FARTHING a coin valued at one quarter of a penny
FIRST NIGHT WATCH a period of duty aboard ship lasting from 8 P.M. until midnight
FLEUR DE SOUVENANCE (FRENCH) a flower, sometimes made of jewels, to serve as a reminder or keepsake; used here to mean a kiss
FONTANEL a membrane-covered space between two bones, especially the spaces between the bones of the skull
FORUM an open space on deck around a ship’s mainmast where people can assemble
FUSTIAN a coarse cloth woven from cotton and flax, first made in Fustat (a suburb of Cairo) in Egypt
GALINGALE the aromatic root of an East Indian plant, used in medicine and cookery
GALL a bitter excrescence on trees produced by the action of insects
GIZZEN to grin audibly
GOGONIANT! (WELSH) Glory be!
GOLDCREST a golden wren
GRAIN OF PARADISE a West African plant used as a spice
GULES in heraldry, the color red
JOUST a war game in which two mounted men try to unseat one another, using lances
KEEN to wail or mourn bitterly
LANCET-WINDOW a tall and narrow window, pointed at the top
THE LAND OVERSEA the name for the territory, including Palestine and the Nile Delta, over which Christians and Muslims fought during the Crusades
LAST a wooden model of the foot, used by shoemakers
LATEEN SAIL a triangular sail suspended at 45 degrees to the mast
LEUCROTA a fabulous beast, which combines elements of a donkey, stag, lion, and horse, and makes a noise resembling human speech
MANGONEL an engine of war designed like a huge catapult, used for throwing stones
MARK two-thirds of the pound sterling
MAST nuts that have fallen to the forest floor
MOLE a stone pier or breakwater
NAKER a kettle-drum
NOVICE in religious orders, a person (often a child) under probation, prior to taking monastic vows
OBSIDIAN volcanic glass, usually black, believed by some cultures to have magical powers
PATEN a shallow dish used for bread at the celebration of the Eucharist
PEL a wooden post against which squires practiced swordplay
PETRARY much the same as a mangonel
PILLARS OF HERCULES the huge rocks standing at the entrance to the Mediterranean, one in Spain, the other in Morocco
PYX a box or vessel in which bread consecrated at the Eucharist is kept
QUINTAIN a post, or the object attached to it, used for practice at jousting with a lance
READING-POINTER a little rod, like a pencil, with which to follow text word by word
REBEC a stringed instrument played with a bow
RECKLING the smallest or weakest animal in the litter
ROUNSEY a strong horse without special breeding used mainly by knights and travelers
SAIS (WELSH) Saxon, or Englishman; sometimes used as a term of abuse
SAMITE heavy silk, sometimes threaded with gold
SHAWM a kind of oboe, with a double reed in the mouthpiece
SHEEP-RUN a track made by sheep
SHRITHE to move in a supple, sinewy, threatening way
SOLAR a withdrawing room, where one can be alone or talk to people in private
STINK-HORN a foul-smelling fungus
STRAITS OF MOROCCO Straits of Gibraltar
TERCE a set of prayers said or sung at 9 A.M. In all, nuns and monks attended seven services during each twenty-four hours: Matins/Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline.
TINCTURES, THE SEVEN a term used in heraldry to describe colors, metals, and furs, each of which have their own names: azure (blue), gules (red), purpure (purple), vert (green), argent (silver/white), or (gold/yellow), and sable (black)
TORMENTUM (PLURAL: TORMENTA) a stone-throwing machine, worked by making a spring out of twisted ropes
TOURNAMENT a magnificent sporting and social occasion at which knights engaged in a series of contests
UNDERCROFT an arched space under the ground floor of a building
VELLUM the best kind of parchment, made from the skin of calf, lamb, or kid
VERJUICE the acid juice of unripe grapes and other sour fruit, used in cooking
VERMILION bright red or scarlet
WATER-MEADOW a pasture periodically flooded with water from a stream or river