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plastron

American  
[plas-truhn] / ˈplæs trən /

noun

  1. a piece of plate armor for the upper part of the torso in front.

  2. Fencing. a quilted pad worn over part of the torso, for protection.

  3. an ornamental front piece of a woman's bodice.

  4. the starched front of a shirt.

  5. Zoology. the ventral part of the shell of a turtle.


plastron British  
/ ˈplæstrən /

noun

  1. the bony plate forming the ventral part of the shell of a tortoise or turtle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of plastron

1500–10; < Middle French < Italian piastrone, augmentative of piastra metal plate, piaster. See plaster

Vocabulary lists containing plastron

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Researchers have known for 20 years that a stable, underwater plastron was theoretically possible but, until now, haven't been able to show it experimentally.

From Science Daily • Oct. 4, 2023

The cotton poplin plastron shirt took 11 hours to make, according to the French house.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2018

The shell consists of the ventral surface called the plastron and the dorsal surface called the carapace, which develops from the ribs.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

It’s perfectly normal for some tortoise species to have a penis that is half the length, or more, of the plastron.

From Scientific American • Jun. 9, 2012

The ground color of the plastron of hatchlings is cream-yellow, or less often, bright yellow.

From Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz by Legler, John M.