{{short description|Complete suit of armor, especially of a Greek hoplite}} {{Other uses}} {{Update-EB|date=June 2020}} [[File:Greek bronze panoply in RMO AvL.JPG|thumb|A bronze helmet and muscle cuirass of an ancient Greek panoply, on display at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden]]
A '''panoply''' is a complete suit of armor. The word represents the Ancient Greek {{wikt-lang|grc|πανοπλία}} (''{{grc-transl|πανοπλία}}''), where the word {{wikt-lang|grc|πᾶν}} (''{{grc-transl|πᾶν}}'') means "all", and {{wikt-lang|grc|ὅπλον}} (''{{grc-transl|ὅπλον}}'') means "arms". Thus, ''panoply'' refers to the full armor of a hoplite or heavily armed soldier, i.e. the shield, breastplate, helmet, and greaves, together with the sword and spear.<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Panoply |volume=20 |page=681 |inline=1}}</ref>
As applied to armor of a later date, ''panoply'' did not come into use until the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century, and was then used of the complete suits of plate armor covering the whole body.<ref name=EB1911/>
Because a panoply is a complete set of diverse components, the word ''panoply'' has come to refer to any complete or impressive collection.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{wiktionary-inline|panoply}} *{{commonscat-inline|Panoplia}}
Category:Body armor Category:Ancient Greek military equipment
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