\Scu"tum\, n.; pl. {Scuta}. [L.]
1. (Rom. Antiq.) An oblong shield made of boards or
   wickerwork covered with leather, with sometimes an iron
   rim; -- carried chiefly by the heavy-armed infantry.
2. (O. Eng. Law) A penthouse or awning. [Obs.] --Burrill.
3. (Zo["o]l.)
   (a) The second and largest of the four parts forming the
       upper surface of a thoracic segment of an insect. It
       is preceded by the prescutum and followed by the
       scutellum. See the Illust. under {Thorax}.
   (b) One of the two lower valves of the operculum of a
       barnacle.