the.com/caparison
medieval armor's runway moment, dressing warhorses to terrify and dazzle before the killing started
means A decorative covering or set of ornamental trappings draped over a horse, or more loosely any rich and showy outfit.
from Borrowed in the 1500s from French 'caparaçon', which came from Spanish 'caparazón' meaning a saddlecloth or covering. The deeper root is likely 'capa' — a cape or cloak — which traces back to Late Latin 'cappa', the same humble ancestor that gave English 'cape' and 'chapel'. So the warhorse's terrifying finery is, at heart, just a very grand cloak.
- job
- decorative cloth draping a horse for battle or pageantry
- origin
- from Spanish caparazon, meaning a saddlecloth or cover
- heraldry
- displayed knight's coat of arms across the horse
- double duty
- intimidation device and shameless status flex
- verb too
- to caparison means to deck out lavishly
henry viii's armor — gilded and etched steel caparison in the royal collection, made for the king of england around 1520
napoleon's horse trappings — ornate velvet and gold caparison used during the emperor's campaigns, displayed in musée de l'armée paris