scutum

plural scuta · plural scutums

1. RomanhistoricalAn oblong shield made of boards or wickerwork covered with leather, with sometimes an iron rim; carried chiefly by the heavily armed infantry of the Roman army.

   Synonyms: tower shield

2. biologyA scute.
3. biologyA shield-like protection, such as the scutum protecting the back of a hard tick (cf. alloscutum, conscutum).

   A tick's eye, if present, is a mere roundish lucent area at the margin of the scutum about opposite the second coxa.

   2009, Dwight D. Bowman, Georgis' Parasitology for Veterinarians

4. biologyOne of the two lower valves of the operculum of a barnacle.
5. anatomyThe kneecap.

1. astronomyA small autumn constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a shield. It lies between the constellations of Aquila, Sagittarius, and the tail of Serpens.