from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Scutum \Scu"tum\, n.; pl. {Scuta}. [L.]
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.
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2. (O. Eng. Law) A penthouse or awning. [Obs.] --Burrill.
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3. (Zool.)
(a) 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}.
(b) One of the two lower valves of the operculum of a
barnacle.
[1913 Webster]