testudo
Americannoun
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(among the ancient Romans) a movable shelter with a strong and usually fireproof arched roof, used for protection of soldiers in siege operations.
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a shelter formed by overlapping oblong shields, held by soldiers above their heads.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of testudo
1350–1400 for earlier sense “tumor”; 1600–10 testudo for def. 1; Middle English < Latin testūdō tortoise, tortoise shell, siege engine; akin to test 2
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.
See Examples For:
Putting their shields upon their heads in a formation much like the old Roman testudo, they advance to the house in bodies of four or six and begin to hack down the posts.
From The Manóbos of Mindanáo Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume XXIII, First Memoir by Garvan, John M.
But the soldiers of the seventh legion, having formed a testudo and thrown up a rampart against the fortification, took the place and drove them out of the woods, receiving only a few wounds.
From "De Bello Gallico" and Other Commentaries by Caesar, Julius
But I had no spare cash to lay out on stock, either in pigments or specimens of the genus testudo.
From Mated from the Morgue A tale of the Second Empire by O'Shea, John Augustus
It's a case for the testudo and all the rest of it.
From Mr. Justice Raffles by Hornung, E. W. (Ernest William)
The testudo, a wooden shelter, was also used, large enough to contain several men.
From Beacon Lights of History, Volume 03 Ancient Achievements by Lord, John
Another group of animals related to diapsids are the testudines: turtles and tortoises.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2012
Comparisons have been drawn between the terrapin and the turtle—very absurdly; for, beyond the fact of both being testudines, there is not a point of resemblance.
From Border and Bastille by Lawrence, George A. (George Alfred)
What need I mention towers, vineæ, and testudines, and the other apparatus used in attacking towns?
From The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08 by Livius, Titus
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.
