What does cuirassed mean?
Cuirassed describes someone or something wearing, covered by, or resembling a cuirass — the piece of plate armor that shields the torso, comprising a breastplate in front and a backpiece behind. The word appears chiefly in historical, archaeological, and military writing: a cuirassed cavalryman is one encased in body armor, while a cuirassed statue, such as many surviving portraits of Roman emperors, shows its subject clad in a ceremonial breastplate. The term has a particular foothold in numismatics, where catalogs describe coin portraits as a 'cuirassed bust' to indicate the ruler is depicted in armor, a convention signaling martial authority. Derived ultimately from the leather garments of antiquity via French, the word carries a formal, scholarly register and connotes protection, strength, and martial display rather than ordinary dress.
Wearing or protected by a cuirass; armored about the torso.
"The museum displayed a cuirassed effigy of a medieval knight."
(Of a coin portrait or sculpture) depicting the subject in a cuirass or breastplate.
"The denarius bears a cuirassed bust of Hadrian facing right."
This sense is standard terminology in numismatic catalog descriptions.
Numismatists know it best: on Roman coins, an emperor shown 'cuirassed' wears the breastplate that signaled command of the army.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cuirassed
Cuirassed derives from cuirass, borrowed into English from French cuirasse in the early modern period. The French word traces back through Italian corsica-related forms to Latin coriaceus, 'made of leather,' from corium, 'hide or leather' — reflecting the fact that early body armor was made of hardened leather before metal plate became standard. The adjective cuirassed simply applies this noun to describe anything thus armored.
Related word forms
How cuirassed is actually used
A formal, somewhat technical word found mainly in military history, classical archaeology, and numismatics rather than everyday speech. In British spelling contexts the related verb form is 'cuirass'; the adjective itself is spelled identically in both varieties.
Easily confused with cuirassed
'Curated' means selected and organized (as for an exhibition), while 'cuirassed' means armored with or protected by a cuirass.