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   Shield

   /SHēld/

   

   noun

   • 1. a broad piece of metal or another suitable material, held by straps or a handle attached on one side, used as a protection against blows or missiles. Similar bucklertargethielamanescutcheonaegisarchaic:targe
   • ▪ a sporting trophy shaped like a shield, consisting of an engraved metal plate mounted on a piece of wood: "team captain Ben Hall collected the winners' shield"
   • ▪ a police officer's badge.
   • ▪ a stylized representation of a shield used for displaying a coat of arms.
   • 2. a person or thing providing protection: "a protective coating of grease provides a shield against abrasive dirt" Similar protectionguarddefensecoverscreenshadesafetysecuritysheltersafeguardsupportbulwarkprotector
   • ▪ a protective plate or screen on machinery or equipment: "a face shield is sometimes an integral part of a safety helmet"
   • ▪ a device or material that prevents or reduces the emission of light or other radiation: "water is a relatively good shield against cosmic rays"
   • ▪ short for dress shield
   • ▪ a hard flat or convex part of an animal, especially a shell: "the horseshoe crab's armor forms a huge domed shield"
   • 3. a large rigid area of the earth's crust, typically of Precambrian rock, which has been unaffected by later orogenic episodes, e.g. the Canadian Shield.

   verb

   • 1. protect (someone or something) from a danger, risk, or unpleasant experience: "he pulled the cap lower to shield his eyes from the glare"
   • ▪ prevent from being seen: "the rocks she sat behind shielded her from the lodge"
   • ▪ enclose or screen (a piece of machinery) to protect the user: "cylindrical ducts shield the propellers"
   • ▪ prevent or reduce the escape of sound, light, or other radiation from (something): "uranium shutters shield the cobalt radioactive source"
   • 2. remain apart from others for a period of time in order to avoid catching an infectious disease to which one may be particularly vulnerable: British "they are shielding to protect their own health"

   Word Origin Old Englishscild (noun), scildan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schild and German Schild, from a base meaning ‘divide, separate’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. shieldless adjective
   • 2. shieldlike adjective

   Scrabble Points: 10

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