arch. Also 5. shawfron, shamfron, 6 chaufrayne, 7 -frain, 9 chamfrain, -fron, (champfrein); see also CHAFFRON and its variants. [a. OF. chaufrain, chanfrain (Cotgr. has both), in mod.F. chanfrein, of unknown origin. (Certainly quite a distinct word from chanfrein, CHAMFER.) The corruptions CHEVERONNE and CHIEFFRONT occur in 15th and 16th c.]
The frontlet of a barded or armed horse.
1465. Mann. & Househ. Exp., 287. To hym that made the shawfron, iiijs. ijd. Ibid., 288. shamfron.
1530. Palsgr., 204/1. Chaufrayne, a pece of harnesse for a horse, chaufrain.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, I. 4/2. Plumes, Bards, Chaufrains, Caparisons.
1820. Scott, Ivanhoe, ii. His gallant war-horse … fully accoutred for battle, with a chamfron or plaited head-piece upon his head.
1840–5. Barham, Ingol. Leg. (1877), 360. Grey Dolphin’s chamfrain more than once dipped beneath the wave.
1884. St. James’s Gaz., 20 June, 11/2. A champfrein, chased with a combat of two horsemen.
† Chamfraining. Obs. rare–0. = CHAMFERING 2, q.v.
Chamfre, obs. variant of CHAMFER.
