Was: Removing burs from silver jumprings
A pet peeve, the use of the term “chain mail”.
I know it’s a term most people recognise these days, but chain mail,
or chain maille was coinned by Hollywood.
If you want to impress you will either say “mail”, if you’re from an
English speaking background, or if you’re Fench then you can say
"maille".
We used to do an educational performance, and we tried really hard
to educate.
Regards Charles A.
I know it's a term most people recognise these days, but chain mail, or chain maille was coinned by Hollywood.
So what’s the correct term?
A pet peeve, the use of the term "chain mail". I know it's a term most people recognise these days, but chain mail, or chain maille was coinned by Hollywood.
In 1822?
Apparently the term was also used previously, in Beowulf:
http://living-language.org/2009/04/02/chain-mail-armour-material-or-
annoying-mail/
The English apparently used just “chain”, just “mail” or both.
Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ
So what's the correct term?
The correct terminology is “Mail”, if you’re English speaking, or
“Maille” if you’re French.
Regards Charles A.
Mail is the short form of Maille and Maille means chain… so chain
mail is “chain chain”.
The one reason I like “chainmail” with no space as a internet search
term. Chainmaille would be even better. Searching for mail finds me a
long on stuff I’m not looking for.
And you heard it here first but this is scalemail or scalemaille
(again with no space so google can find it):
Jon Daniels
The Ring Lord Chainmail
The proper term appearing in historical inventories is “maille” or
"mail" when applied to armor created from various combinations of
interlocked metal (riveted and non-riveted/punched) rings. Chainmail
is an 18th century Victorian term.
Very Best Regards, Brian
My research indicates “chainmail” has been in use since the 18th
century.
Mail was used before that time.
Mike O’Toole
“Mail”, with all of the linguistic variants like Maille, Mayle, etc.
The Romans had a version called Lorica Hamata. Sticking “chain” in
front of it started in the 1700’s, actually, but really got
ingrained during the Victorian era.
Ron Charlotte – Gainesville, FL
Mail is the short form of Maille and Maille means chain... so chain mail is "chain chain".
Funny, for me as a non-english native speaker, “chain maille” was
always good : “maille” is french for “stitch”, a chain maille is a
cloth of metal, a wool maille is called a pullover.
In my part of Canada, you’d be corrected on spelling if ‘mail’ were
used.
We only make ‘maille’ up here…
Happy that we work with our hands
Simone
Hi Jon,
A slight correction here, “maille” means “net”.
The English referred to mail as :-
A coat of mail
Fish scales, or
Armour net.
I have to agree searching for the term “mail” is a royal pain in the
rump. Chainmail has become a term that everyone uses, so I guess who
am I to say otherwise.
Arrrgh! Scalemail, it’s just like saying “platemail”… the term
scale or plate… thinking set of scales on a google search, and
dinner ware for plate… lol I give up 
I think I’ll just go back to the Roman terminology 
Regards Charles A.
P.S. The scale is very pretty btw.
Added to that Chain mail - Wikipedia
and Regia Anglorum - Arms and Armour - Part 6 - Armour
By the time (1700) this term was coinned, mail was pretty much a
thing of the past in Europe.
Interesting use of Beowulf as a reference, although Beowulf is an old
story, the earliest surviving copy of the story only dates back to
1882 (again mail as a body armour in Europe was no longer used).
Regards Charles A.
I’m a native English-speaker (US). I’d say it’s very common to see
“chainmail” here, and though I don’t claim to be an expert it would
seem to me that the word originated with the double-l and the e, so
why not spell it that way. Therefore “chainmaille” is the version I
choose to use. I will say, though, that if someone said they were
making “mail” I’d wonder what the heck they were talking about, that
is something that is sent through the postal service. If someone,
however, says they are making “maille”, I don’t believe there’s any
confusion there.
Lisa
Designs by Lisa Gallagher
Arrrgh! Scalemail, it's just like saying "platemail"... the term
If you think plate mail should be distinguished from generic mail,
why not chain mail as well?
Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ
The oldest surviving Beowulf manuscript is found in the Nowell Codex
and dates from ~1000.
The oldest surviving Beowulf manuscript is found in the Nowell Codex and dates from ~1000.
That’s what I vaguely remember from high school. My senior year they
hired a PhD to improve the English program. He was an expert in Old
English and we read Beowulf.
Long time ago.
Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ
Hi Lisa,
I'm a native English-speaker (US). I'd say it's very common to see "chainmail" here, and though I don't claim to be an expert it would seem to me that the word originated with the double-l and the e, so why not spell it that way. Therefore "chainmaille" is the version I choose to use. I will say, though, that if someone said they were making "mail" I'd wonder what the heck they were talking about, that is something that is sent through the postal service. If someone, however, says they are making "maille", I don't believe there's any confusion there.
There’s English and there’s English.
E.g. Aluminium and Aluminum
The word didn’t actually originate with a “lle”, but if people want
to choose a term that is recognised as a pseudo brand name who am I
to argue. I’m an English speaker and I choose to use the English
term.
"Mail, mayle or chain was the English name for it, maille was the
French version, and it was called malien in Flemish and Dutch. This
and the alternative spellings maile and maille derive through the
Italian maglia, from the Latin macula, meaning “mesh of a net”. The
Spanish corresponding word is malla and in Portuguese it is malha.
The Welsh term lluric derives from the Latin lorica.
Many modern American armourers prefer the French spelling “maille”
in order to avoid confusion with the term chain letter for
‘chainmail’ or postal delivery for ‘mail’."
Regards Charles A.
Hi Al,
If you think plate mail should be distinguished from generic mail, why not chain mail as well?
It’s just “Plate” and “Scale” 
Platemail as a term is just silly… unless you roll a D6 
Regards Charles A.
I believe “mail” is a more generic term, referring to personal
armor, and can come in various types. You may be right, but since
most of the declarations you’ve made til now have been wrong, I won’t
take it for gospel.
Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ
I believe "mail" is a more generic term, referring to personal armor, and can come in various types. You may be right, but since most of the declarations you've made til now have been wrong, I won't take it for gospel.
Well nobody’s perfect, I’ll be the first to admit that.
As we have seen through the course of this discussion, mail means
“net”. Plate is a term used for body armour made from sheets of
metal, the term “platemail”, does not work, and seemed to originated
when people started playing Dungeons and Dragons.
Regards Charles A.