Meaning & use
greave
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Meanings
nounusually pluralspecialist
A piece of metal armor that covers the shin, worn by a soldier or knight to protect the lower leg.
Grammar: Normally used in the plural, greaves, since armor covers both legs.
Patterns
- a pair of greaves
- wear greaves
The museum displays a bronze greave from ancient Greece.
The knight strapped steel greaves over his boots before the tournament.
One greave had a dent from a sword blow.
nounusually pluralinformal
A piece of protective gear that guards the lower leg in some sports or reenactments.
Grammar: A modern, less common use, often in fantasy games and costumes.
Patterns
- leather greaves
The actor wore leather greaves under his costume.
Players in the fantasy game can buy iron greaves for their characters.
She made foam greaves for her convention costume.
Word forms
| plural | greaves |
|---|
Common combinations
- a pair of greaves
- He bought a pair of greaves for his armor costume.
- bronze greaves
- Bronze greaves protected the legs of Greek hoplites.
- steel greaves
- The knight's steel greaves gleamed in the sun.
- buckle on greaves
- He buckled on his greaves before leaving the tent.
- greaves and gauntlets
- The set included greaves and gauntlets.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shin guard
- A shin guard protects the shin in modern sport, while a greave is a piece of historic armor.
- leg armor
- Leg armor is the general term, whereas a greave specifically protects the lower leg below the knee.
- cuisse
- A cuisse is armor for the thigh, so it protects a different part of the leg from a greave.
Word family
Commonly confused: greave or grieve? greave or grease?
greave vs grieve
Grieve is a verb meaning to feel deep sorrow; it sounds the same as greave but is spelled differently.
greave vs grease
Grease is an oily substance; it looks and sounds a little like greave but means something quite different.
Practice
A knight protected his shins with metal ______.
Choose one answer.
Greaves are armor for the shin. Gauntlets protect the hands, a helm the head and a visor the face.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “greave”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.