byrnie

noun

1. (historical)A short chain mail shirt, covering from the upper arms to the upper thighs.

   “[…] those that walked armed before the Witches’ booths, six in company, harnessed as for battle in byrnies of shining bronze, with greaves and shields of bronze and helms that glanced in the sun.”

   “It was the Viking habit. Even as a man plowed his field or chopped trees in the woods, his byrnie and his sword were always at hand.”

   “Unferth stood beside him, his huge arms folded on his byrnie.”

   “The mail-coat, or byrnie, was made of iron links that probably were cut out of sheet metal with a die, or from flat hammered wire cut into short lengths.”