scutellum

American  

[skyoo-tel-uhm] / skjuˈtɛl əm /

noun

• scutella
  plural

1. Botany. the shieldlike cotyledon of certain monocots.

2. Zoology. a small plate, scutum, or other shieldlike part, as on the thorax of insects or the feet of birds.

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scutellum British  

/ skjuːˈtɛləm /

noun

1. the last of three plates into which the notum of an insect's thorax is divided

2. one of the scales on the tarsus of a bird's leg

3. an outgrowth from a germinating grass seed that probably represents the cotyledon

4. any other small shield-shaped part or structure

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scutellum Scientific  

/ skyo̅o̅-tĕl′əm /

• scutella
  plural

1. A shieldlike bony plate or scale, as on the thorax of some insects.

2. The large, shield-shaped cotyledon of the embryo of a grass plant, specialized for the absorption of food from the endosperm.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• scutellar
  adjective
• scutellate
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• scutella
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of scutellum

1750–60; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin scūt ( um ) shield ( see scute) + -ellum diminutive suffix

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scutellum scutella

Found globally, these insects are named for their outsized scutellum, from the Latin word scutum, meaning shield.

From National Geographic ● Jun. 23, 2018

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

Dorsulum: the mesonotum before the scutellum, with the wing sockets: also, specifically, the meso-scutellum.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by John. B. Smith

In some grasses there is a small scale-like appendage opposite the scutellum, the epiblast.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 "Gordon, Lord George" to "Grasses" by Various

The scutellum is attached to the axis at about its middle and its outer surface is in contact with the endosperm.

From A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses by K. Rangachari

Each kind gets its name from the Latin scutella, "a little cap," which the calyx resembles, and is therefore called Hood Wort, or Helmet flower.

From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by William Thomas Fernie

It follows the scutum, and is followed by the small postscutellum; a scutella.

From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary Section S by Project Gutenberg

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