sheltron

shel·tron
S1H4E1L1T1R1O1N1
US, UK/ˈʃɛltɹən/

noun

A compact body of troops forming a battle array or phalanx, especially such a body of Scottish troops armed with pikes during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

OriginMiddle English scheltroun ← Old English sċieldtruma ← Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

nounsheltron (plural sheltrons)

plural sheltrons · alternative cheldrome · alternative childrome · alternative sheltrum · alternative schiltrom

  1. historicalgovernmentA compact body of troops forming a battle array or phalanx, especially such a body of Scottish troops armed with pikes during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

    As the group tops a crest, there is a skip of panic among them, and they instinctively cluster around the youngest, a schiltrom of hooves and teeth.

    2022, Thomas Halliday, Otherworlds, Penguin, published 2023, page 12
    1 more example

    The ſheltron of the foremen of the fyrſt ſort, ſhalbe ſet in the ryght corner, and wete thou well that cohort is not ellis but the numbre of fyfty hundred knyghtis, and eṽry legion is ten comportes. Than as I ſaid before, the ſheltron of foremen of the fyrſt cohort, ſhude be ſet in the fyr[ſ]t corner of the ſheldron, and to hem the ſecunde cohort ſhalbe joined. [From an anonymous English translation of Vigetus de re Militari.]

    [1408, R. Green, “Of the Warlike Weapons of the Ancients”, in Sylvanus Urban [pseudonym], editor, The Gentleman’s Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, volume XXIX, London: […] D[avid] Henry and R. Cave, […], published 14 November 1759, →OCLC, page 521, column 1

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
testudo

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*drew-“firm, hard, solid; strong; tree”
  2. Proto-Indo-European*(s)kelH-“to cut; to separate, split”
  3. Old Englishsċieldtruma“company of soldiers, phalanx; covering; shed, shelter; tortoise”
  4. Middle Englishscheltroun
  5. Englishsheltron

PIE word *dóru From Middle English scheltroun, sheltroun (“group of soldiers or army in fighting formation, phalanx; battle, fighting; group of warships, fleet; (by extension) line or row of bones”) [and other forms], from Old English sċieldtruma (“company of soldiers, phalanx; covering; shed, shelter; tortoise”) [and other forms], from sċield (“shield; (figuratively) protection”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to cut; to separate, split”)) + truma (“band or troop of men”) (possibly from trum (“firm, strong; stable, steadfast”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *drew- (“firm, hard, solid; strong; tree”), *dóru (“tree”)). Doublet of shelter (which is the less conservative of the two).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Indo-European

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish schiltron
  • schiltronany compact body of troops forming a battle array or phalanx
Russian шилтрон
  • шилтрон (šiltron)any compact body of troops forming a battle array or phalanx
Slovak šiltron
  • šiltronany compact body of troops forming a battle array or phalanx
Spanish testudo
  • testudoany compact body of troops forming a battle array or phalanx
Ukrainian шилтрон
  • шилтрон (šyltron)any compact body of troops forming a battle array or phalanx
Cite this entry
APA

sheltron. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sheltron

MLA

“sheltron.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sheltron. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sheltron,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sheltron.

Source: sheltron on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.