plastron
noun
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English speakers first borrowed French's word for a breastplate, plastron, as the name for the protective plate worn under a tunic of [chain mail](/dictionary/chain mail) by knights. In the 17th century, plastron was extended to the pad used to protect the torso of a fencer. Two centuries later, herpetologists appropriated the word for a slightly different type of protection: the underside of a turtle's shell, which consists typically of nine bones overlaid by horny plates. That was followed by the word's application in the world of fashion to coverings that adorn the front of a woman's bodice, such as a lacy bib, as well as to a man's separate or detachable starched shirtfront (which is typically worn under a jacket).
Examples of plastron in a Sentence
Danielle Beurteaux, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Oct. 2024
Software simulations helped the atelier carve rock crystal into a precious interpretation of the ripples caused by a falling drop for a plastron necklace that conformed to the body.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 12 July 2024
Her report noted the juvenile turtle had a few abrasions on its plastron, or shell, with an open hole or sore near a long crack near its back left flipper.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2023
Box turtles get their name from the hinged plastron (lower shell).
—Arkansas Online, 20 June 2022
To fix the plastron, the center's veterinarian worked with her father, a professor at Marquette University School of Dentistry.
—Evan Frank, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2019
Feavel said the turtle was likely hit by a vehicle, which fractured the skull, carapace (top shell) and plastron (bottom shell).
—Evan Frank, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2019
The domed carapace covering the back of the animal is connected to the flat plastron on the underside of the animal by a bridge of bone.
—Hans-Dieter Sues, Smithsonian, 20 Aug. 2019
The origin of the plastron covering the underside of the turtle is less obvious.
—Hans-Dieter Sues, Smithsonian, 20 Aug. 2019
Dictionary Entries Near plastron
Cite this Entry
“Plastron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plastron. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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