hauberk

thumb|upright|right|Italian hauberk from the late 15th century A hauberk or byrnie is a mail shirt. The term is usually used to describe a shirt reaching at least to mid-thigh and including sleeves. A haubergeon ("little hauberk") refers to a smaller mail shirt, that was sometimes sleeveless, but the terms are occasionally used interchangeably. Mail armor, likely invented by the Celts, became widely adopted for its flexibility and spread throughout Europe and Asia, becoming a staple in Roman legions and medieval warfare. By the 11th century, the hauberk evolved into a knee-length, sleeved mail shirt, as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry and it remained in use in Europe until the Renaissance despite the rise of plate armor.

== Etymology == The word hauberk () comes from the Old French word hauberc, meaning "coat of mail", which originally derived from the earlier Frankish or similar Germanic word halsberg, literally translating to "neck protector". This word breaks down into two parts: hals, meaning "neck", which has counterparts in various languages like Old English, Old Norse, and Old High German, and bergan, meaning "to cover or protect". The root of bergan comes from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root bhergh- meaning "to hide or protect". Meanwhile, the word hals traces its origin to the PIE root kwel-, meaning "to revolve or move around".