Library / English Dictionary

SHIELD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles

Synonyms:

carapace; cuticle; shell; shield

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("shield" is a kind of...):

scute (large bony or horny plate as on an armadillo or turtle or the underside of a snake)

Meronyms (substance of "shield"):

shell (the material that forms the hard outer covering of many animals)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shield"):

cuticula (the outer body wall of an insect)

Holonyms ("shield" is a part of...):

turtle (any of various aquatic and land reptiles having a bony shell and flipper-like limbs for swimming)

arthropod (invertebrate having jointed limbs and a segmented body with an exoskeleton made of chitin)

mollusc; mollusk; shellfish (invertebrate having a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a shell)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Armor carried on the arm to intercept blows

Synonyms:

buckler; shield

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("shield" is a kind of...):

armor; armour (protective covering made of metal and used in combat)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shield"):

escutcheon; scutcheon (a shield; especially one displaying a coat of arms)

pavis; pavise ((Middle Ages) a large heavy oblong shield protecting the whole body; originally carried but sometimes set up in permanent position)

Derivation:

shield (protect, hide, or conceal from danger or harm)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A protective covering or structure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("shield" is a kind of...):

protection; protective cover; protective covering (a covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shield"):

nipple shield (a rubber or plastic shield to protect the nipples of nursing women)

plate; scale; shell (a metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners))

shielding (a shield of lead or concrete intended as a barrier to radiation emitted in nuclear decay)

shielding (shield consisting of an arrangement of metal mesh or plates designed to protect electronic equipment from ambient electromagnetic interference)

Derivation:

shield (protect, hide, or conceal from danger or harm)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Protect, hide, or conceal from danger or harm

Synonyms:

screen; shield

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "shield" is one way to...):

protect (shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

shield (armor carried on the arm to intercept blows)

shield (a protective covering or structure)

shielder (a person who cares for persons or property)

shielding (the act of shielding from harm)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Hold back a thought or feeling about

Example:

She is harboring a grudge against him

Synonyms:

harbor; harbour; shield

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "shield" is one way to...):

conceal; hide (prevent from being seen or discovered)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Credits

 Context examples: 

The cornea helps to shield the rest of the eye from germs, dust, and other harmful matter.

(Corneal Disorders, NIH National Eye Institute)

An innovative graphene-based film helps shield people from disease-carrying mosquitos, according to a new study.

(Graphene shield shows promise in blocking mosquito bites, National Institutes of Health)

Under these miniature magnetic umbrellas, the material that makes up the Moon's surface, called regolith, is shielded from the Sun's particles.

(NASA Mission Reveals Origins of Moon's 'Sunburn', NASA)

This warms the surface and produces rain that creates a thick layer of clouds, which acts like an umbrella to shield the surface from much of the solar heating.

(NASA Climate Modeling Suggests Venus May Have Been Habitable, NASA)

Fortunately, light pollution can be controlled by shielding lights to limit shine to the immediate area, reducing lighting to the minimum amount needed — or by simply turning them off.

(Milky Way now hidden from a third of humanity, NOAA)

Gamma rays are very penetrating and are best stopped or shielded by dense materials, such as lead or depleted uranium.

(Gamma Radiation, NCI Thesaurus)

It shields us from the sun's ultraviolet rays.

(Ozone, Environmental Protection Agency)

Ovarian shielding is a type of fertility preservation.

(Ovarian shielding, NCI Dictionary)

The Utopia deposit is shielded from the atmosphere by a soil covering estimated to be about 3 to 33 feet (1 to 10 meters) thick.

(Mars Ice Deposit Holds as Much Water as Lake Superior, NASA)

Then he rolled over on his side, his head resting on the biceps of the under arm, the forearm shielding his eyes from the sun.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)