| n. | 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. |
| 2. | (O. Eng. Law) A penthouse or awning. |
| 3. | (Zool.) 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. |