testudo

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tes·tu·do

 (tĕ-sto͞o′dō, -styo͞o′-)
n. pl. tes·tu·dos
1. A Roman siege device consisting of a movable screen protecting the besiegers' approach to a wall.
2. A cover formed by the overlapping shields of besiegers and held over their heads.

[Latin testūdō, tortoise, tortoise shell, testudo, from testa, shell, earthenware vessel, of unknown origin.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

testudo

(tɛˈstjuːdəʊ)
n, pl -dines (-dɪˌniːz)
(Arms & Armour (excluding Firearms)) a form of shelter used by the ancient Roman Army for protection against attack from above, consisting either of a mobile arched structure or of overlapping shields held by the soldiers over their heads
[C17: from Latin: a tortoise, from testa a shell]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tes•tu•do

(tɛˈstu doʊ, -ˈstyu-)

n., pl. tes•tu•di•nes (tɛˈstud nˌiz, -ˈstyud-)
(among the ancient Romans) a screen of interlocked shields held overhead by a column of troops.
[1600–10; < Latin testūdō tortoise, testudo; akin to test2]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.testudo - a movable protective covering that provided protection from abovetestudo - a movable protective covering that provided protection from above; used by Roman troops when approaching the walls of a besieged fortification
protective cover, protective covering, protection - a covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury; "they had no protection from the fallout"; "wax provided protection for the floors"
2.Testudo - type genus of the Testudinidae
reptile genus - a genus of reptiles
European tortoise, Testudo graeca - small land tortoise of southern Europe
giant tortoise - very large tortoises of the Galapagos and Seychelles islands
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
References in classic literature ?
under feudalism as under a testudo of brazen bucklers, finding no issue except in the direction of architecture,--gushed forth through that art, and its Iliads assumed the form of cathedrals.
I will first describe the habits of the tortoise (Testudo nigra, formerly called Indica), which has been so frequently alluded to.