testudo
[ te-stoo-doh, -styoo- ]
/ tɛˈstu doʊ, -ˈstyu- /
noun, plural tes·tu·di·nes [te-stood-n-eez, -styood-] /tɛˈstud nˌiz, -ˈstyud-/.
(among the ancient Romans) a movable shelter with a strong and usually fireproof arched roof, used for protection of soldiers in siege operations.
a shelter formed by overlapping oblong shields, held by soldiers above their heads.
Origin of testudo
1350–1400 for earlier sense “tumor”; 1600–10
for def 1; Middle English < Latin
testūdō tortoise, tortoise shell, siege engine; akin to
test2
Words nearby testudo
testitis,
teston,
testosterone,
testudinal,
testudinate,
testudo,
testy,
tet,
tet offensive,
tetanic,
tetaniform
Example sentences from the Web for testudo
British Dictionary definitions for testudo
testudo
/ (tɛˈstjuːdəʊ) /
noun plural -dines (-dɪˌniːz)
a form of shelter used by the ancient Roman Army for protection against attack from above, consisting either of a mobile arched structure or of overlapping shields held by the soldiers over their heads
Word Origin for testudo
C17: from Latin: a tortoise, from
testa a shell