Meanings
plural gorgets
- historicalA piece of armour protecting the throat and/or the upper part of the chest.
Unfix the gorget's iron clasp.
1805, Walter Scott, “(please specify the page)”, in The Lay of the Last Minstrel: A Poem, London: […] [James Ballantyne] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], and A[rchibald] Constable and Co., […], →OCLC4 more examples
About his neck a threefold gorget, / As rough as trebled leathern target
1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]. Canto II.”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1905, →OCLCHawkmoon whipped his sword from the scabbard, leaped forward, and drove the blade into the throat of the warrior just below his gorget.
1968, Michael Moorcock, The Mad God's Amulet, Gollancz, published 2003, page 209Renly lifted his chin to allow Brienne to fasten his gorget in place.
1999, George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam, published 2011, page 500I heard he presented Hygd with a gorget, the priceless torque that the prince's daughter Wealhtheow, had given him.
1999, Seamus Heaney, Beowulf, London: Faber and Faber, page 69Synonyms: neckplate, hausse-col, gorgerin, gorgerette
- historicalA crescent-shaped ornamental metal plate suspended around the neck from the crescent's points by a length of chain or ribbon, used to indicate rank or authority and was worn as part of a dress military uniform by officers.
- A grooved instrument used in performing various operations; called also blunt gorget.
- CornwallUKdialectalA hake caught in a net set for other fish.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA piece of armour protecting the throat and/or the upper part of the chest.
nounA type of women's clothing covering the neck and breast; a wimple.
nounA cutting instrument used in lithotomy.
Origin
- Old Frenchgorgete
- Middle Englishgorget
- Englishgorget
From Middle English gorget, from Old French gorgete, from gorge (“throat”).
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan gola, gorjal
- golaarmour
- gorjalarmour
- gorgeríarmour
- golaornament for the neck
Finnish kurkkusuoja
- kurkkusuojaarmour
French gorgerin, hausse-col
- gorgerinarmour
- hausse-colarmour
- gorgerettewomen's clothing
- gorgerinwomen's clothing
- hausse-colornament for the neck
German Ringkragen, Halsberge
- Ringkragenarmour
- Halsbergearmour
- Brusttuchwomen's clothing
- Halsbergeornament for the neck
- Ringkragenornament for the neck
Italian gorgiera
- gorgieraarmour
Japanese 喉当て
- 喉当て (nodoate)armour
Korean 고지트
- 고지트 (gojiteu)armour
Lithuanian goržetas
- goržetasarmour
Norwegian Bokmål ringkrage, ringkrave
- ringkragearmour
- ringkravearmour
Persian طوقه
- طوقهarmour
Polish ryngraf
- ryngrafarmour
Portuguese gorjal, gorjeira
- gorjalarmour
- gorjeiraarmour
Russian горже́т
- горже́т (goržét)armour
Spanish gorjal
- gorjalarmour
Swedish ringkrage, pansarkrage
- ringkragearmour
- pansarkragearmour
- harneskkragearmour
Ukrainian горже́т
- горже́т (horžét)armour
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
gorget. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gorget
“gorget.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gorget. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gorget,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gorget.
Source: gorget on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.