'aventail' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'aventaille', where the element 'ventaille' meant a protective face- or throat-guard.

'aventail' changed from the Old French word 'aventaille' and entered Middle English as 'aventail', eventually becoming the modern English word 'aventail'.

Initially, it meant 'a protective curtain or guard (often of chain mail) for the face or throat', and this meaning has largely been retained in modern usage as 'a chain-mail curtain attached to a helmet protecting the neck and lower face'.