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

---

Other Word Forms

• plastral
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of plastron

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

Example Sentences

This thin layer of air is called a plastron and for decades, material scientists have been trying to harness its protective effects.

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

Turtles are characterized by a bony or cartilaginous shell, made up of the carapace on the back and the plastron on the ventral surface, which develops from the ribs.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

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

There is a tendency for the dark markings of the plastron to encroach on the lighter markings, if no wear on the shell occurs.

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