scutum

[ skyoo-tuhm ]

noun

plural: scuta [skyoo, -t, uh] genitive: Scuti [skoo, -tahy].

1. Zoology. scute ( def 1 ).
2. a large, oblong shield used by the heavy legionaries of ancient Rome.
3. genitive Scuti [skoo, -tahy]. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the Shield, a southern constellation north of Sagittarius and east of Aquila, containing a small, very bright star cloud.

Scutum

¹

/ ˈskjuːtəm /

noun

1. a small faint constellation in the S hemisphere lying between Sagittarius and Aquila and crossed by the Milky Way Also calledScutum Sobieskiisɒˈbjɛskɪ

scutum

²

/ ˈskjuːtəm /

noun

1. the middle of three plates into which the notum of an insect's thorax is divided
2. another word for scute
3. a large Roman shield

Word History and Origins

Origin of scutum¹

First recorded in 1765–75; from Latin scūtum “shield”

Word History and Origins

Origin of scutum¹

Latin, literally: the Shield

Origin of scutum²

Latin: shield