scutellum

[ skyoo-tel-uhm ]

noun

, plural scu·tel·la [skyoo-, tel, -, uh].

1. Botany. the shieldlike cotyledon of certain monocots.
2. Zoology. a small plate, scutum, or other shieldlike part, as on the thorax of insects or the feet of birds.

scutellum

/ -lɪt; skjuːˈtɛləm; ˈskjuːtɪˌleɪt /

noun

1. the last of three plates into which the notum of an insect's thorax is divided
2. one of the scales on the tarsus of a bird's leg
3. an outgrowth from a germinating grass seed that probably represents the cotyledon
4. any other small shield-shaped part or structure

scutellum

/ skyo̅o̅-tĕl′əm /

, Plural scutella

1. A shieldlike bony plate or scale, as on the thorax of some insects.
2. The large, shield-shaped cotyledon of the embryo of a grass plant, specialized for the absorption of food from the endosperm.

Derived Forms

• scuˈtellar, adjective
• scutellate, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scutellum¹

1750–60; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin scūt ( um ) shield ( scute ) + -ellum diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of scutellum¹

C18: from New Latin: a little shield, from Latin scūtum a shield

Example Sentences

Scutell′iform, scutellate; Scutellig′erous, provided with a scutellum; Scutelliplan′tar, having the back of the tarsus scutellate.

From Project Gutenberg

In some grasses there is a small scale-like appendage opposite the scutellum, the epiblast.

From Project Gutenberg

Apodema: a conspicuous transverse band crossing the thorax in front of the scutellum in male Coccidae.

From Project Gutenberg

Axillae: two small, subtriangular sclerites at the lateral basal angles of the meso-scutellum in Proctytripidae.

From Project Gutenberg

Dorsulum: the mesonotum before the scutellum, with the wing sockets: also, specifically, the meso-scutellum.

From Project Gutenberg