ETYM Old Eng. armure, from French armure, Old Fren. armeure, from Latin armatura. Related to Armature.
Body protection worn in battle. Body armor is depicted in Greek and Roman art. Chain mail was developed in the Middle Ages but the craft of the armorer in Europe reached its height in design in the 15th century, when knights, and to some extent, their horses, were encased in plate armor that still allowed freedom of movement.
Medieval Japanese armor was articulated, made of iron, gilded metal, leather, and silk. Contemporary bulletproof vests and riot gear are forms of armor. The term is used in a modern context to refer to a mechanized armored vehicle, such as a tank.
Since World War II armor for tanks and ships has been developed beyond an increasing thickness of steel plate, becoming an increasingly light, layered composite, including materials such as ceramics. More controversial is “reactive” armor, consisting of “shoeboxes” made of armor containing small, quick-acting explosive charges, which are attached at the most vulnerable points of a tank, in order to break up the force of entry of an enemy warhead. This type is used by, for example, Israel, but the incorporation of explosive material in a tank has potential drawbacks.
The invention of gunpowder led, by degrees, to the virtual abandonment of armor until World War I, when the helmet reappeared as a defense against shrapnel. Suits of armor in the Tower of London were studied by US designers of astronaut wear. Modern armor, used by the army, police, security guards, and people at risk from assassination, uses nylon and fiberglass and is often worn beneath clothing.(Alternate spelling: armour).
1. Made of metal and used in combat; SYN. armour.
2. Tough more-or-less rigid protective covering of an animal or plant; SYN. armour. + prikaži više

Alternate (chiefly British) spelling for armor.