Gaunt"let (?), n. (Mil.) See Gantlet.

Gaunt"let (?), n. [F. gantelet, dim. of gant glove, LL. wantus, of Teutonic origin; cf. D. want, Sw. & Dan. vante, Icel. vöttr, for vantr.] 1. A glove of such material that it defends the hand from wounds.

&fist; The gauntlet of the Middle Ages was sometimes of chain mail, sometimes of leather partly covered with plates, scales, etc., of metal sewed to it, and, in the 14th century, became a glove of small steel plates, carefully articulated and covering the whole hand except the palm and the inside of the fingers.

2. A long glove, covering the wrist.

3. (Naut.) A rope on which hammocks or clothes are hung for drying.

• (Armor) Category:Armor Protective armor for the hands.
       Quotations
       *1786: The hands were defended by Gauntlets, these were sometimes of chain mail, but oftener of small plates of iron rivetted together, in imitation of the lobster's tail, so as to yield every motion of the hand, some gauntlets inclosed the whole hand, as in a box or case, others were divided into fingers, each finger consisting of eight or ten separate pieces, the inside gloved with buff leather, some of these reached no higher than the wrist, others to the elbow; the latter were stiled long armed gauntlets: many of them are to be seen in the Tower; for a representation of one of them, see plate 26, fig 6. — Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 22.