释义 |
shield I. \ˈshē(ə)ld\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English sheld, shild, from Old English scield, sceld, scyld, scild; akin to Old High German scilt shield, Old Norse skjöldr, Gothic skildus shield, Old English sciell shell — more at shell 1. a. : a broad piece of defensive armor (as of metal, wood, or leather) carried on the arm or held in the hand by a handle and formerly in general use for the protection of the body (as from spears, arrows, or sword thrusts) in battle or individual combat b. : a means or method of defense < a fighter shield for their war industries — Manchester Guardian Weekly > < understanding … that the haughtiness was a shield — Anne D. Sedgwick > c. : the field on which the bearings in coats of arms are placed : escutcheon 2. : a structure, device, or part that serves as a protective cover or barrier: as a. : the hard horny skin of a boar's flank or neck b. : a protective structure on an animal (as a large scale, carapace, or lorica); usually : any of the large scales on the head of a snake or lizard or the horny plates of a turtle's shell c. : an iron or steel framework moved forward at the end of a tunnel or adit in process of excavation to support the ground ahead of the concrete, cast iron, brickwork, or other lining d. : a screen of armor plate usually attached to a gun carriage to protect an otherwise exposed gun against small-arm or light-caliber projectiles or shrapnel e. : cultivator shield f. : the Precambrian nuclear mass of a continent around which and to some extent upon which the younger sedimentary rocks have been deposited < the Canadian shield … centers in Hudson Bay — C.O.Dunbar > — compare craton g. : a fixture or attachment placed over moving parts of machinery to protect attendants or others from injury h. : a shaped piece of often rubberized cloth that is worn inside or over a part of a garment (as the underarm of a dress or blouse) liable to be soiled by perspiration i. (1) : a screen or device that protects electrical apparatus from being affected by outside electrostatic or magnetic influences (2) : a wall, screen, housing, or other device that protects against radiation < a lead shield > 3. : something that has the shape of a shield or is thought to resemble a shield: as a. (1) : apothecium (2) : one of the eight wall cells of the antheridium of a stonewort b. : a bodily marking or otherwise differentiated area of an animal resembling a shield c. : a policeman's badge < turned in his shield and applied for retirement > d. : a decorative or identifying emblem (as of a state, club, or organization) < these cars will carry no state shield — Springfield (Massachusetts) Daily News > II. verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Middle English shelden, shilden, from Old English scieldan, scildan, scyldan, from scield, sceld, scyld, scild, n. transitive verb 1. a. : to protect with or as if with a shield : give cover to : defend < shielding his eyes from the light — John Seago > < have your work to retire into, your ideas to shield you — Aldous Huxley > b. : to cut off from observation : conceal, hide < usually work in gangs, clustering about exhibits in such a manner as to shield their activities — Irish Digest > < the act of concealment and the reasons for it are themselves shielded from public observation — J.G.Palfrey > 2. obsolete : avert, forbid — used in the phrase God shield < God shield I should disturb devotion — Shakespeare > 3. : to ward off : keep off or out — often used with off < their own messes and own company to shield off loneliness — Time > intransitive verb : to serve as a shield : defend, protect < a desire to shield and save — Lord Byron > Synonyms: see defend |