A padded jacket or jerkin worn under armour for protection.
Recorded earliest in acton-maker..
Origin
Middle English. From Anglo-Norman aketoun, aketon, aketun, aketoune, aketune, actone, Anglo-Norman and Old French auqueton from Spanish †alcoton cotton or its etymon Spanish Arabic al-quṭūn cotton, regional variant of classical Arabic al-quṭn from al the + quṭn. Compare Old Occitan aucoton, alcoto padded military tunic (Occitan auqueton child's jerkin).