Meaning & use
buckler
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Meanings
nouncountablearchaic
A small round shield, held in one hand or strapped to the arm, used by soldiers in the past to turn aside blows.
Grammar: A countable noun: a buckler, two bucklers; mostly met in history and fantasy.
Patterns
- sword and buckler
The duelist carried a sword in one hand and a buckler in the other.
Museums display bucklers that once belonged to foot soldiers.
He raised his buckler just in time to block the strike.
nouncountableliteraryfigurative
Something that protects someone or something from harm, used in a figurative, literary way.
Grammar: Used figuratively, usually with an of-phrase: a buckler against fear.
Patterns
- a buckler against something
Her calm voice was a buckler against the panic in the room.
The poet called faith a buckler against despair.
Good habits act as a buckler when life becomes chaotic.
Word forms
| plural | bucklers |
|---|
Common combinations
- sword and buckler
- The fencing club teaches sword and buckler technique.
- wooden buckler
- The actor held a wooden buckler on stage.
- round buckler
- A round buckler hung above the fireplace.
- raise a buckler
- The soldier raised a buckler to deflect the arrow.
- buckler against
- Humor became his buckler against criticism.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shield
- Shield is the general word and may be any size, while a buckler is specifically small and often round.
- targe
- Targe is an older, mainly Scottish word for a round shield, and is rarer still than buckler.
- protection
- Protection is the plain modern word for the figurative sense, whereas buckler adds a poetic, old-world tone.
Word family
- buckle noun
- a fastener; the word buckler comes from the boss on the shield
- swashbuckler noun
- a daring, flamboyant swordsman or adventurer
- swashbuckling adjective
- full of daring, romantic adventure
Commonly confused: buckler or buckle?
buckler vs buckle
A buckle fastens a belt or strap, whereas a buckler is a shield, although the two words come from the same French root.
Practice
What would a medieval soldier most likely do with a buckler?
Choose one answer.
A buckler is a small shield used to deflect blows. The other options describe tools or uses that do not match a shield.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “buckler”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.