In armor, a piece of protective gear that covers half the leg, less complete than a full jambe or greave.
From 'demi-' (half) + 'jambe,' which comes from Old French 'jambe' meaning leg, from Latin 'gamba.' Jambe or greaves were leg armor; a demijambe offered partial leg protection.
Medieval armor was incredibly specialized—a soldier's budget determined everything: full plate armor, demijambe leg protection, or just chain mail. Archaeologists can actually determine someone's social class by which 'demi-' pieces they could afford.
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