ˈsk(y)üd.əm noun
( plural scu·ta -ə)
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, shield — more at esquire
: a bony, horny, or chitinous plate : scute: as
a. : the second and largest of the four parts forming the upper surface of a thoracic segment of an insect between the prescutum and the scutellum
b. : one of the two lower valves of the operculum of a barnacle