Dictionary entries for 'shield'

Synonyms

shield (shēld)

[Middle English sheld, from Old English scield.]

noun

A broad piece of armor made of rigid material and strapped to the arm or carried in the hand for protection against hurled or thrusted weapons.
A person or thing that provides protection.
A protective device or structure, as:
1. A steel sheet attached to an artillery piece to protect gunners from small-arms fire and shrapnel.
2. Physics A wall or housing of concrete or lead built around a nuclear reactor to prevent the escape of radiation.
3. Electronics A structure or arrangement of metal plates or mesh designed to protect a piece of electronic equipment from electrostatic or magnetic interference.
4. A pad worn, as at the armpits, to protect a garment from perspiration.
5. A sanitary napkin.
Zoology A protective plate or similar hard outer covering; a scute or scutellum.
Something that resembles a shield, as:
1. An escutcheon.
2. A decorative emblem that often serves to identify an organization or a government.
3. A police officer's badge.
Geology The ancient, stable, interior layer of continents composed of primarily Precambrian igneous or metamorphic rocks. Also called continental shield