scutellum noun. [skju:'tɛlǝm] Pl. -lla [-lǝ]. M18.
[mod. Latin, app. intended as a correction of Latin scutella SCUTELLA noun¹ as if a dim. of scutum shield (cf. -ELLA).]
1. Botany.
a. A round flat apothecium in a lichen, having a raised rim formed from the thallus. M18.
b. A peltate organ in the embryo of a grass, a modified cotyledon. M19.

2. a. Entomology. The third notal (dorsal) sclerite in each thoracic segment of an insect, posterior to the scutum. E19.
b. Ornithology. Each of the horny plates which cover the feet of certain birds. M19.

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