scutellum

scu·tel·lum  (sky-tlm)

n. pl. scu·tel·la (-tl)

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

2. Botany Any of several shield-shaped structures, such as the cotyledon of a grass.

---

[New Latin sctellum, from Latin, diminutive of sctum, shield; see scutum.]

---

scu·tellar (-tlr) adj.

---

scutellum [skjuːˈtɛləm]

n pl -la [-lə] Biology

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) the last of three plates into which the notum of an insect's thorax is divided

2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) one of the scales on the tarsus of a bird's leg

3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) an outgrowth from a germinating grass seed that probably represents the cotyledon

4. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) any other small shield-shaped part or structure

[from New Latin: a little shield, from Latin scūtum a shield]

scutellar  adj

scutellate  [ˈskjuːtɪˌleɪt -lɪt] adj

---

scutellum  (sky-tlm)

Plural scutella

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.