- Scuta
- Scutum Scu"tum, n.; pl. {Scuta}. [L.]
1. (Rom. Antiq.) An oblong shield made of boards or
wickerwork covered with leather, with sometimes an iron
rim; -- carried chiefly by the heavy-armed infantry.
[1913 Webster]
2. (O. Eng. Law) A penthouse or awning. [Obs.] --Burrill. [1913 Webster]
3. (Zo["o]l.) (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. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.