noun. A scute.

noun. A shield-shaped dorsal sclerite or plate of certain insects and arachnids.

noun. 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.

noun. A scute.

noun. One of the two lower valves of the operculum of a barnacle.

noun. A penthouse or awning.

"His men were armed with round shields and long spears, the Romans had the large shield called the scutum, a better protection for the body, and the javelin, a much more effective weapon than the spear whether for hurling or thrusting."