Definition of "quillon"

quillon

/kiːˈjɒn/

noun
plural quillons
1. The guard of a sword or other bladed weapon designed to protect the hand from harm.
2. Either of the two arms of such a guard.
  Quotations
  The quillons may be either straight (fig. 109) — that is, disposed at right angles — or curved (fig. 107).
  1884, Robert F. Burton, The Book of the Sword, page 125
  With regard to the quillons, it was obvious that with slight alteration they might be made to protect the hand very much more than they did in their straight condition.
  1885, Egerton Castle, Schools and Masters of Fence: From the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century, page 233