Chappe
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A piece, typically of leather, fitted to the crossguard of European swords of the later medieval period, attested mainly in art, of uncertain purpose.
"[…] part of the cross-guard. Often these chappes - a word, incidentally, that means “capes” - were decorated in needlework with the arms or device of the owner."
- 2 Alternative form of schappe (“silk”). alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable
"chappes and spun silks"
- 3 Alternative form of chape (“metal at the bottom of a scabbard”). alt-of, alternative
"In everyday situations, swords were worn with or carried in a scabbard. […] Until about 1310, no metal fitting was put at the top, only a chappe at the point end to prevent it from wearing away, but after this date there was always[…]"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"[…] part of the cross-guard. Often these chappes - a word, incidentally, that means “capes” - were decorated in needlework with the arms or device of the owner."
Etymology
From French chappe. Compare chape (from Middle English).
More for "chappe"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.