shield

Meanings

Noun

• Anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection.
• A shape like that of a shield; usually, an inverted triangle with sides that curve inward to form a pointed bottom, commonly used for police identifications and company logos.
• A large expanse of exposed stable Precambrian rock.
• A place with a toilet seat: an outhouse; a lavatory.
• Parts at the front and back of a vehicle which are meant to absorb the impact of a collision

Verb

• To protect, to defend.
• to protect from the influence of

Related

Narrower meaning words

• buckler
• heatshield
• pavache
• pavais
• rondache
• roundel
• sunshield
• tallevas
• targe
• target

Origin

• From Middle English scheld, shelde, from Old English scield ("shield"), from Proto-West Germanic *skeldu, from Proto-Germanic *skelduz ("shield"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- ("cut, split"). Cognate with West Frisian skyld, Dutch schild ("shield"), German Schild ("shield"), Danish skjold ("shield"), Icelandic skjöldur ("shield") and Faroese skjøldur ("shield")
• Compare Latin scūtum ("shield"), Irish sciath ("shield"), Latgalian škīda ("shield"), Lithuanian skydas ("shield"), Russian щит ("shield"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- ("to cover, protect"), *skey-.
• From Middle English shelden, from Old English scildan.