testudo

[ te-stoo-doh, -styoo- ]

noun,plural tes·tu·di·nes [te-stood-n-eez, -styood-]. /tɛˈstud nˌiz, -ˈstyud-/.
  1. (among the ancient Romans) a movable shelter with a strong and usually fireproof arched roof, used for protection of soldiers in siege operations.

  2. a shelter formed by overlapping oblong shields, held by soldiers above their heads.

Origin of testudo

1
1350–1400 for earlier sense “tumor”; 1600–10 for def. 1; Middle English <Latin testūdō tortoise, tortoise shell, siege engine; akin to test2

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How to use testudo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for testudo

testudo

/ (tɛˈstjuːdəʊ) /


nounplural -dines (-dɪˌniːz)
  1. 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

Origin of testudo

1
C17: from Latin: a tortoise, from testa a shell

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