Forms: pl. 4 quysseaux, -ewes, 5 cusseis, cussues, qwysshewes, 5–7 cushies, 7 cushes, 6–9 cuisses, 8–9 cuishes; sing. 5 cusshewe, cusché, 7 cush, 9 cuish. [In 14th c. quyssewes, cuissues, a. OF. cuisseaux, cuisiaux, pl. of cuissel = It. cosciale, L. coxāle, f. L. coxa hip, It. coscia, F. cuisse thigh. In Eng. the -ewes, -ues of the plural being reduced to -ies, and at length to -es, the latter has been confounded with the plural ending in fish-es, etc., and a singular cuish, cuisse formed. The etymological sing. would be quissel, or quissew.] pl. Armor for protecting the front part of the thighs; in sing. a thigh-piece.
[1314. Sir R. de Clifford, in Hist. Lett. & Pap. North Reg. (Rolls 1873), 227. Vij. pair de trappes … ix. pair de quisseus.]
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 10027. Arthur … was armed fynly wel Wyþ … Doublet & quysseaux.
c. 1340. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 578. Queme quyssewes … coyntlych closed His thik þrawen þyȝez.
1423. Test. Ebor. (Surtees), III. 73. Pro uno pare de qwysshewes de mayle, pro defensione crurium.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VIII. xxxii. 46. Hys Cusche Laynere brak in twa.
1590. Sir J. Smyth, Disc. Weapons, 3. If he had that day worne his cuisses, the bullet had not broken his thigh bone.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., IV. i. 105. I saw young Harry with his Beuer on, His Cushes on his thighes.
1602. Warner, Alb. Eng., XII. lxix. (1612), 291. The Taishes, Cushies, and the Graues.
1622. F. Markham, Bk. War, IV. viii. 151. They shocke close together, and as it were ioyne Cush to Cush.
1697. Dryden, Virgil, Ded. How came the cuisses to be worse tempered than the rest of his armour.
1718. Pope, Iliad, III. 411. The purple cuishes clasp his thighs around.
1814. Scott, Ld. of Isles, VI. xxxiii. Helm, cuish, and breastplate stream’d with gore.
1881. F. T. Palgrave, Visions of Eng., 136. Sidney struck onward, his cuisses thrown off.
Hence † Cuishard [F. cuissard], Cuisset. Cuissot [F. 13th c.], in same sense. Cf. also CUSSAN.
1598. Barret, Theor. Warres, Gloss. 250. Cuisset, is the armings of a horseman, for his thigh vnto the knees.
1678. trans. Gaya’s Arms War, 44. Cuissots or Thigh-pieces.
1632. J. Hayward, trans. Biondi’s Eromena, 145. He bore him a thrust under the vauntplate, between the two cuyshard pieces.
1830. E. Hawkins, Anglo-Fr. Coinage, 110. Part of his cuissarts appears.
