Other forms: jerkins
A jerkin is a close-fitting sleeveless jacket. A leather jerkin, wear a jerkin, a padded jerkin.
It was worn over a doublet in the sixteenth century, usually in leather, and it is now costume dress and reenactment wear above all. The word also survives in the British army for a leather sleeveless jacket issued in the world wars.
1nounjerkinA close-fitting sleeveless jacket.
“The archer wore a leather jerkin over his linen shirt.”
jerkin is a garment.
JERKin → worn like a JERSEY with the sleeves gone
It goes on over the shirt like a jersey, but with no sleeves at all.
hooks ontojersey
First recorded in the early 1500s, of unknown origin, possibly from a Dutch word.
First recorded in early 1500s. Possibly related to jurk, itself of unknown origin and not attested before the 17th century. Derivation from jornee has been suggested.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA