arms-bearer

• arms bearer
• armsbearer

arms-bearer (plural arms-bearers)

1. One who carries weapons for another.
   • 2005, Ronnie Ancona, Ellen Greene, Gendered Dynamics in Latin Love Poetry, →ISBN, page 316:

     As for women, only Venus, stripped of her femininity as arms-bearer for Caesar, and the virginal goddess Vesta are present (4.1.46 and 4.1.21).

   • 2009, Hillel I. Millgram, The Invention of Monotheist Ethics - Volume 1, →ISBN, page 128:

     And the men of the outpost called to Jonathan and his arms-bearer: "Come on up to us, and we will show you a thing! "

   • 2014, Adele Berlin, Marc Zvi Brettler, The Jewish Study Bible, →ISBN:

     His arms-bearer answered him, "Do whatever you like. You go first, I am with you, whatever you decide."

   • 2015, BC Dick, Troidai, →ISBN, page 50:

     Ilos would stand arms-bearer for our father and Drimios for Tros' favorite heketas.

2. An armed fighter, such as a soldier or knight; one who carries and uses a weapon, as opposed to a member of the support personnel.
   • 1988, Benjamin Quarles, Black mosaic: essays in Afro-American history and historiography:

     Lamenting the fact that "scarcely an inch of the page of history has been appropriated" to the memory of the black arms-bearers of the Revolutionary War, Henry Highland Garnet sought to redress the balance in an address before the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1840.

   • 1990, William G. Crampton, The Complete Guide to Flags, page 15:

     An important rule of heraldry (often overlooked by makers of historical dramas) is that only the arms-bearer could wear or use his own arms and fly his own banner and standard - his retainers and followers could only use his livery colours and his badge or badges on pennons and flags.

   • 2002, Tomaz Mastnak, Crusading Peace, →ISBN:

     By setting rules specifying whom arms-bearers were not allowed to attack, the kinds of property they were not allowed to touch, and days of the week and seasons of the year when they were not allowed to use arms, the peace council regulations also gave the Church the authority to determine who could employ arms, for what purpose, on whose command, against whom, and when.