shield-bearer

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English scheeld-berere, equivalent to shield +‎ bearer.

Noun

shield-bearer (plural shield-bearers)

  1. A person who carries a shield, either a warrior, or a lower-ranking person who carries a shield for a higher-ranking person.
    • 1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 23:
      “Never have shield-bearers so grim of face ever landed before on out shores!”
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.