Scutes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Hard, thick, scale-like plates that form part of the outer covering of certain animals like turtles and crocodiles
2. Protective, shield-like bony structures that appear on the skin of reptiles and some fish
3. Plates made of bone or keratin that cover and shield the bodies of some animals such as turtles

Etymology: "Scutes" is the plural of "scute," a bony or horny plate that shields an animal's body, as on a turtle's shell or an armadillo's armour. The singular comes straight from Latin "scutum," the large oblong shield carried by Roman legionaries, so an animal's plate was named after a soldier's protective gear. The same Latin word travelled a long way through the languages of Europe. It gave Italian "scudo," the name of an old coin, and Spanish "escudo," also a coin, while in French it became "écu," another former coin and a term for a shield in heraldry. Each of these carries the idea of something that guards, passed from the battlefield into metal, paper money and the emblems of noble families.

Synonyms: scales, plates, armor, shells, carapaces