Lit. 'passage of arms'. A variation of the *melee or joust in which a team or individual announced they would set themselves up to defend a particular place against any who chose to accept the challenge. These could well be lengthy affairs, with many contests using lance, sword, axe. One such contest in Burgundy, which involved 13 knights and squires, was spread out over six weeks - though without fighting every day. The challenge, in the form of shields fixed to a tree, or symbol thereof, would have been put up for any knight to accept. -
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.