scutellum

[ skyoo-tel-uh m ]
/ skyuˈtɛl əm /

noun, plural scu·tel·la [skyoo-tel-uh] /skyuˈtɛl ə/.

Botany. the shieldlike cotyledon of certain monocots.
Zoology. a small plate, scutum, or other shieldlike part, as on the thorax of insects or the feet of birds.

Origin of scutellum

1750–60; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin scūt(um) shield (see scute) + -ellum diminutive suffix

Words nearby scutellum

scutch grass, scutcheon, scute, scutellate, scutellation, scutellum, scutiform, scutter, scuttle, scuttlebutt, scutular

Example sentences from the Web for scutellum

British Dictionary definitions for scutellum

scutellum
/ (skjuːˈtɛləm) /

noun plural -la (-lə) biology

the last of three plates into which the notum of an insect's thorax is divided
one of the scales on the tarsus of a bird's leg
an outgrowth from a germinating grass seed that probably represents the cotyledon
any other small shield-shaped part or structure

Derived forms of scutellum

scutellar, adjective scutellate (ˈskjuːtɪˌleɪt, -lɪt), adjective

Word Origin for scutellum

C18: from New Latin: a little shield, from Latin scūtum a shield

Scientific definitions for scutellum

scutellum
[ skyōō-tĕl′əm ]

Plural scutella

A shieldlike bony plate or scale, as on the thorax of some insects.
The large, shield-shaped cotyledon of the embryo of a grass plant, specialized for the absorption of food from the endosperm.