[skyoo-tuh
m] 
[-tuh] for 1, 2, genitive Scu⋅ti [skoo-tahy] for 3. | 1. | Zoology. scute (def. 1). |
| 2. | a large, oblong shield used by the heavy legionaries of ancient Rome. |
| 3. | (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the Shield, a southern constellation north of Sagittarius and east of Aquila, containing a small, very bright star cloud. |
| scute (skyōōt) n. A horny, chitinous, or bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle or the underside of a snake. Also called scutum. [From Latin scūtum, shield; see scutum.] |
| scu·tum (skyōō'təm) n. pl. scu·ta (-tə) See scute. [Latin scūtum, shield; see skei- in Indo-European roots.] |