- Armband
:"This article deals with non-military armbands used for display purposes. For military armbands, see
brassard .":"For flotation arm bands, seeinflatable armbands .":"For metal arm bands generally, seearm ring . For Celtic or Viking era metal arm bands, see torque."An armband is a piece of
cloth worn around the arm over thesleeve of other clothing to mark the wearer as belonging to group, having a certainrank orrole , or being in a particular state or condition.When used as part of a
military uniform it is called abrassard . Uniforms serving other purposes such as to identify members ofclub s,societies orteam s may also have armbands for certain ranks or functions. An armband might identify a group leader, ateam captain , or a person charged with controlling or organizing an event.Armbands are sometimes used to indicate
political affiliation s or to identify the wearer with anideology orsocial movement .In some cultures the wearing of a black armband signifies that the wearer is in mourning or wishes to identify with the commemoration of a comrade or team member who has died. This use is particularly common when a group or team meets after having lost a member. For further details of this use, see the topic on
mourning .The phrase "to wear your heart on your
sleeve ", meaning to show your feelings, to display an emotional affiliation or conviction, is supposedly related to armbands. In medieval jousts, ladies of the court were said to tie a piece of cloth — ascarf orkerchief — around the arm of their favoriteknight , who thus displayed his affection for the lady.Fact|date=May 2007ee also
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Black armband view of history
*Arm ring
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