SCUTUM

Etymology

Noun

scutum (plural scuta)

(historical, Roman antiquity) An oblong shield made of boards or wickerwork covered with leather, with sometimes an iron rim; carried chiefly by the heavy-armed infantry of the Roman army.

(zoology) A scute.

(zoology) A shield-like protection, such as the scutum protecting the back of a hard tick (cf. alloscutum, conscutum)

(zoology) One of the two lower valves of the operculum of a barnacle.

(anatomy) The kneecap.

Etymology

Proper noun

Scutum

(constellation) A small autumn constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a shield. It lies between the constellations of Aquila, Sagittarius, and the tail of Serpens.

Source: Wiktionary


Scu"tum, n.; pl. Scuta. Etym: [L.]

1. (Rom. Antiq.)

Definition: An oblong shield made of boards or wickerwork covered with leather, with sometimes an iron rim; -- carried chiefly by the heavy- armed infantry.

2. (O. Eng. Law)

Definition: A penthouse or awning. [Obs.] Burrill.

3. (Zoöl.) (a) The second and largest of the four parts forming the upper surface of a thoracic segment of an insect. It is preceded by the prescutum and followed by the scutellum. See the Illust. under Thorax. (b) One of the two lower valves of the operculum of a barnacle.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

3 April 2025

WHOLE

(noun) an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; “how big is that part compared to the whole?”; “the team is a unit”


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According to Guinness World Records, the largest iced coffee is 14,228.1 liters and was created by Caffé Bene (South Korea), in Yangju, South Korea, on 17 July 2014. They poured iced black Americano on the giant cup that measured 3.3 meters tall and 2.62 meters wide.

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