the.com/gorget
the metal collar that taught necks to fear the sword
means A gorget is a piece of armor worn to protect the throat and neck, later surviving as a crescent-shaped metal badge or decorative collar worn by officers and clergy.
from From Old French 'gorgete,' a little diminutive of 'gorge' meaning throat (the same root that gives English 'gorge' for both a ravine and the act of stuffing one's throat). That 'gorge' descends from Latin 'gurges,' a whirlpool or gullet — the swallowing place. So the gorget is, quite literally, the throat-guard, named for the tender pipe it shielded from the blade.
- armor origin
- Steel plate guarding the throat in battle
- bird version
- Hummingbirds wear iridescent throat patches called gorgets
- status symbol
- Officers wore tiny gorgets long after armor died
- french root
- Named from gorge, meaning throat
- last survivor
- Lingered as gold crescents on dress uniforms
for instance
henry viii's jeweled gorget — royal neck armor worn by king henry viii, displayed at the tower of london, ornately decorated with gold and jewels