05-25-2010, 08:02 AM
Quote:Mail (mal) n- armor, especially garments made of or covered with interlocking metal rings, or overlapping metal scales. [ from Old French "maille", from Latin "macula" meaning " a spot; mesh of a net.] Hom- male.--adj.- mailed.This is the problem. As far as armour study goes, "mail" only refers to a mesh of interlinked rings. Dictionaries include other types of armour such as ring armour, and scale armour that should not be referred to as "mail".
I attempted to explain the problems with terminology here.
http://www.arador.com/articles/chainmail.html
Author: Bronze Age Military Equipment, Pen & Sword Books