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The word for today is…
gauntlet (noun):
1: a glove worn with medieval armor to protect the hand
2: any of various protective gloves used especially in industry
3: an open challenge (as to combat) – used in phrases like throw down the gauntlet
4: a dress glove extending above the wrist
5a: a double file of men facing each other and armed with clubs or other weapons with which to strike at an individual who is made to run between them – used with run
b: a line, series, or assemblage especially : one that poses some sort of ordeal
6: a severe trial : ordeal
Source : Merriam -Webster
Etymology : Gauntlet (which comes from the Middle French word gantelet, the diminutive of gant, meaning “glove”) first referred to the reinforced glove of a suit of armor, but today it’s mostly encountered in figurative phrases, such as “throw down the gauntlet” and “pick up the gauntlet,” that arose from the conventions of medieval combat. To challenge someone to combat, a knight would throw his glove at another knight’s feet. The second knight would pick the glove up if he intended to accept the challenge, in which case a jousting match might ensue. Accordingly, to throw down the gauntlet is to issue an open challenge, while to pick up the gauntlet is to accept one. (The gauntlet that means “severe trial,” or “ordeal,” often used in the phrase “run the gauntlet,” is an alteration of gantelope, a word that originates from Swedish gata, meaning “lane” or “way.”)
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