the.com/targe
a medieval Scottish shield that doubled as a fist-mounted weapon when the spear ran out
means A small round shield, typically of wood faced with leather and studded with metal, often fitted with a central spike — famously carried by Scottish Highlanders.
from From Old English 'targe' and Old Norse 'targa,' both meaning a light shield; a cousin of Old French 'targe,' all likely tracing back to a shared Germanic root. The same word later shrank into 'target' — a 'little targe' — and as actual shields faded from war, the diminutive drifted to mean the round thing you aim arrows at instead of the round thing that stops them.
- build
- Wood layered, leather covered, brass tacks studded
- spike option
- Some bolted a long spike to the center
- highland kit
- Standard gear at the 1745 Jacobite rising
- word root
- Origin of the modern word target
- size
- Roughly 20 inches across, worn on the forearm
scottish targe — small round shield used by scottish highlanders, particularly in 16th-17th century warfare
targe of henry viii — decorative shield made for king henry viii around 1520, now in the royal armouries