The Collaborative International Dictionary
Pauldron \Paul"dron\, n. [See Powldron.] (Mil. Antiq.) A piece of armor covering the shoulder at the junction of the body piece and arm piece.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"armor for the shoulder," mid-15c., from Old French espauleron, from espaule (French épaule) "shoulder" (see epaulet)
Wiktionary
alt. A component of plate armour that protects the shoulder. n. A component of plate armour that protects the shoulder.
Wikipedia
A pauldron (sometimes spelled pouldron or powldron) is a component of plate armor, which evolved from spaulders in the 15th century. As with spaulders, pauldrons cover the shoulder area. Pauldrons tend to be larger than spaulders, covering the armpit, and sometimes parts of the back and chest. A pauldron typically consists of a single large dome-shaped piece to cover the shoulder (the "cop") with multiple lames attached to it to defend the arm and upper shoulder. On some suits of armour, especially those of Italian design, the pauldrons would usually be asymmetrical, with one pauldron covering less (for mobility) and sporting a cut-away to make room for a lance rest.
Usage examples of "pauldron".
Like my clansmen I did not disdain the wearing of armor, and had strapped on a breast and back, a pauldron over my left shoulder, and arm and wrist bands on my left arm.
Your couter on that arm is overlarge, and your pauldron too small for a man of your shoulder.
I then went to work on his arms, affixing the pauldron, the rerebrace and couter.
Approaching from behind and to the right, I aimed deliberately for the neck bared between pauldron and helm.
As the king drew himself up onto one elbow, the pauldron fell away from that shoulder, trailing fresh smoke.
When he felt the other claw clamp onto his left pauldron, Ryld knew he was pinned.
My pauldrons stopped progress at my shoulders, so the sorcerer yanked down with his hands once, twice, three times until the leather straps snapped crisply and the armor fell away.
From his shoulder pauldrons bristled odd, deadly looking spines and barbs jutted in rows along his forearms.
With her swathes of dark hair streaming through the translucent wings and his shadowy locks cascading over the polished lames of his gorget and pauldrons, they made a breathtakingly striking couple.
Among them sauntered the Each Uisge in field-armor, a sculpture in metal: the curved ridge of the gardebraces jutted from his shoulders on either side, meeting the rippled shoulder-defenses of the pauldrons at a smooth seam.
Daye picked up the shoulder pauldrons, clasping them between long, sensitive hands.
Tinian stalked to the wave trap, feeling ridiculous inside the enormous bucket, pauldrons, and body glove.
The first few ranks were heavy-armed, plate rerebraces and vambraces on their arms instead of mail sleeves, heavy pauldrons protecting their shoulders, visored helmets, mounted on huge chargers, real old-style brewery-wagon horses.
When we had walked half a league across the sward, we entered a grove of flowering plums, and at once the crested helms and flaring pauldrons danced with pink and white.
The wide neckpiece rose almost to his ears, and the pauldrons extended past his shoulders, making his head seem small and childlike.