I. ˈshē(ə)ld noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English sheld, shild, from Old English scield, sceld, scyld, scild; akin to Old High German scilt shield, Old Norse skjöldr, Gothic skildus shield, Old English sciell shell — more at shell
1.
a. : a broad piece of defensive armor (as of metal, wood, or leather) carried on the arm or held in the hand by a handle and formerly in general use for the protection of the body (as from spears, arrows, or sword thrusts) in battle or individual combat
b. : a means or method of defense
a fighter shield for their war industries — Manchester Guardian Weekly
understanding … that the haughtiness was a shield — Anne D. Sedgwick
c. : the field on which the bearings in coats of arms are placed : escutcheon
2. : a structure, device, or part that serves as a protective cover or barrier: as
a. : the hard horny skin of a boar's flank or neck
b. : a protective structure on an animal (as a large scale, carapace, or lorica) ; usually : any of the large scales on the head of a snake or lizard or the horny plates of a turtle's shell
c. : an iron or steel framework moved forward at the end of a tunnel or adit in process of excavation to support the ground ahead of the concrete, cast iron, brickwork, or other lining
d. : a screen of armor plate usually attached to a gun carriage to protect an otherwise exposed gun against small-arm or light-caliber projectiles or shrapnel
e. : cultivator shield
f. : the Precambrian nuclear mass of a continent around which and to some extent upon which the younger sedimentary rocks have been deposited
the Canadian shield … centers in Hudson Bay — C.O.Dunbar
— compare craton
g. : a fixture or attachment placed over moving parts of machinery to protect attendants or others from injury
h. : a shaped piece of often rubberized cloth that is worn inside or over a part of a garment (as the underarm of a dress or blouse) liable to be soiled by perspiration
i.
(1) : a screen or device that protects electrical apparatus from being affected by outside electrostatic or magnetic influences
(2) : a wall, screen, housing, or other device that protects against radiation
a lead shield
3. : something that has the shape of a shield or is thought to resemble a shield: as
a.
(1) : apothecium
(2) : one of the eight wall cells of the antheridium of a stonewort
b. : a bodily marking or otherwise differentiated area of an animal resembling a shield
c. : a policeman's badge
turned in his shield and applied for retirement
d. : a decorative or identifying emblem (as of a state, club, or organization)
these cars will carry no state shield — Springfield (Massachusetts) Daily News
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English shelden, shilden, from Old English scieldan, scildan, scyldan, from scield, sceld, scyld, scild, n.
transitive verb
1.
a. : to protect with or as if with a shield : give cover to : defend
shielding his eyes from the light — John Seago
have your work to retire into, your ideas to shield you — Aldous Huxley
b. : to cut off from observation : conceal , hide
usually work in gangs, clustering about exhibits in such a manner as to shield their activities — Irish Digest
the act of concealment and the reasons for it are themselves shielded from public observation — J.G.Palfrey
2. obsolete : avert , forbid — used in the phrase God shield
God shield I should disturb devotion — Shakespeare
3. : to ward off : keep off or out — often used with off
their own messes and own company to shield off loneliness — Time
intransitive verb
: to serve as a shield : defend , protect
a desire to shield and save — Lord Byron
Synonyms: see defend