Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Testudo"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Testudo \Tes*tu"do\, n.; pl. {Testudines}. [L., from testa the
shell of shellfish, or of testaceous animals.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) A genus of tortoises which formerly included a
large number of diverse forms, but is now restricted to
certain terrestrial species, such as the European land
tortoise ({Testudo Gr[ae]ca}) and the gopher of the
Southern United States.
2. (Rom. Antiq.) A cover or screen which a body of troops
formed with their shields or targets, by holding them over
their heads when standing close to each other. This cover
resembled the back of a tortoise, and served to shelter
the men from darts, stones, and other missiles. A similar
defense was sometimes formed of boards, and moved on
wheels.
3. (Mus.) A kind of musical instrument. a species of lyre; --
so called in allusion to the lyre of Mercury, fabled to
have been made of the shell of a tortoise.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
testudo
n 1: a movable protective covering that provided protection from
above; used by Roman troops when approaching the walls
of a besieged fortification
2: type genus of the Testudinidae [syn: {Testudo}, {genus
Testudo}]
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