Found 2 items, similar to testudo.
English → English (WordNet) Definition: testudo 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: genus Testudo] [also: testudines (pl)]
English → English (gcide) Definition: Testudo 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. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster]