panser

Panser is a term used in several Germanic languages, most notably Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, to mean armor or the protective plating used on equipment and personnel. The word is closely related to the German Panzer, and the two share the broader sense of protective armor.

In historical and military discourse in Scandinavia, panser has been used to refer to armor in general, including the armor worn by soldiers as well as the armor plates used on vehicles and fortifications. The term has also appeared in discussions of armored fighting vehicles in translation of German sources, and it is sometimes used to describe tanks or other armored units in a broad sense, particularly in older or non-English-language texts.

In contemporary usage, panser remains a standard word for protective armor, while more specific terms are used for particular devices, such as body armor, armor plating, or named vehicle types. Outside military contexts, panser can appear in historical writing, literature, and media as a generic reference to armor or as part of proper names.

See also Panzer, Armor, Tank, Armored fighting vehicle.