Dumb question time :) (Er, armor questions)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabard

if you just follow the links in wikipedia you can learn a lot about different armor pieces and types.

No such thing as a dumb question

A surcoat is worn over armor, made of heavy material, it is usually emblazoned with the knight's personal emblem--or the sigil of the lord he works for.

www.armor.com swordsandarmor.com

Doesn't answer your question quite, but it's a handy chart.

EDIT: The image disappeared but here's the link:

http://www.beautifuliron.com/armour_diagrams.htm

Another word for it is 'Tabard' and its commonly used in fantasy. It can also mean simply 'uniform.' There's another word too. It depends on the kind of armor and historic period. The Surcoat is almost more of a robe, and was only common among mail-clad knights of the early middle ages. In the 13th and 14th centuries, knights wore a tighter, smaller garment that fit tightly over the plate. I forget what its called. In the late middle ages, these fell out of fashion entirely, except in tournaments.

One of the problems--or maybe advantages--of medieval terms is that they often aren't very precise. Here are definitions (from the glossary of Edge's and Paddock's Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight, the best book I have seen on the subject):

Surcoat: A flowing garment worn over armor from the 12th century. It could be sleeved or sleeveless, usually reaching the mid-calf. Later it was shortened and in the 14th century developed into the jupon.

Jupon: A tight-fitting garment, usually padded and worn over armor from c.1350-1410. Often used to diaplay the wearer's arms.

Tabard: Short, open-sided garment with short sleeves used to display the wearer's arms. Often worn by heralds.

Perhaps the best thing to do in a novel is to pick the term you like, make sure the reader knows what you mean by it, and use it consistently. Few readers will quibble.

(There's also the term "supervest"....)

Jupon! thats it. love to Vomaxx