Dictionary

scutellum

noun scu·tel·lum \skü-ˈte-ləm, skyü-\
plural scu·tel·la\-lə\

Definition of SCUTELLUM

1
:  a hard plate or scale (as on the thorax of an insect or the tarsus of a bird)
2
:  the shield-shaped cotyledon of a monocotyledon (as a grass)
scu·tel·lar \-lər\ adjective
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Origin of SCUTELLUM

New Latin, diminutive of Latin scutum shield
First Known Use: 1819

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