- A kind of shield, of various shapes and sizes, worn on one
of the arms (usually the left) for protecting the front of the body. - One of the large, bony, external plates found on many
ganoid fishes. - The anterior segment of the shell of trilobites. - A block of wood or plate of iron made to fit a hawse hole,
or the circular opening in a half-port, to prevent water from entering
when the vessel pitches. - To shield; to defend.