scutellum
Americannoun
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Botany. the shieldlike cotyledon of certain monocots.
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Zoology. a small plate, scutum, or other shieldlike part, as on the thorax of insects or the feet of birds.
noun
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the last of three plates into which the notum of an insect's thorax is divided
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one of the scales on the tarsus of a bird's leg
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an outgrowth from a germinating grass seed that probably represents the cotyledon
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any other small shield-shaped part or structure
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A shieldlike bony plate or scale, as on the thorax of some insects.
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The large, shield-shaped cotyledon of the embryo of a grass plant, specialized for the absorption of food from the endosperm.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of scutellum
1750–60; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin scūt ( um ) shield ( see scute) + -ellum diminutive suffix
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.
Found globally, these insects are named for their outsized scutellum, from the Latin word scutum, meaning shield.
From National Geographic • Jun. 23, 2018
Thorax rounded anteriorly and compressed behind; the scutellum prominent, forming a small tubercle; the metathorax obliquely truncate, the margin of the truncation elevated, so that when viewed sideways the metathorax forms an obtuse angular shape.
From Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society - Vol. 3 Zoology by Various
Thorax anticus valde productus et attenuatus; scutellum bispinosum; metathorax magnus, declivis.
From Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society - Vol. 3 Zoology by Various
Dorso-alar region: Diptera; between the transverse suture and the scutellum on one side and the root of the wing and the dorso-central region on the other.
From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.
The part in contact with the endosperm is plate-like, and is known as the scutellum; the surface in contact with the endosperm forms an absorptive epithelium.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 "Gordon, Lord George" to "Grasses" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
