Shield

shield

1. the protective outer covering of an animal, such as the shell of a turtle

2. Physics a structure of concrete, lead, etc., placed around a nuclear reactor or other source of radiation in order to prevent the escape of radiation

3. a broad stable plateau of ancient Precambrian rocks forming the rigid nucleus of a particular continent

4. Civil engineering a hollow steel cylinder that protects men driving a circular tunnel through loose, soft, or water-bearing ground

5. the shield Informal

a. Austral short for the Sheffield Shield

b. NZ short for the Ranfurly Shield

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

shield

[shēld]

(engineering)

An iron, steel, or wood framework used to support the ground ahead of the lining in tunneling and mining.

(geology)

The very old, rigid core of relatively stable rocks within a continent around which younger sedimentary rocks have been deposited. Also known as continental shield.

palette

(nucleonics)

The material placed around a nuclear reactor, or other source of radiation, to reduce escaping radiation or particles to a permissible level. Also known as shielding.

(ordnance)

Armor plate mounted on a gun carriage to protect the operating mechanism and gun crew from enemy fire.

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Shield

[shēld]

(astronomy)

Scutum

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

shield

A metallic layer that surrounds insulated conductors in a shielded cable; may be the metallic sheath of the cable or a metallic layer inside a nonmetallic sheath; especially effective in providing protection against electrostatic interference.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

NVIDIA SHIELD

Tegra-based Android devices from NVIDIA, comprising the SHIELD Portable and SHIELD Tablet, introduced in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Although designed for gaming, SHIELD devices run regular Android apps as well.

Thin Client Gaming
Using the appropriate NVIDIA graphics card in the PC, NVIDIA's GameStream technology provides a thin client approach for game playing. A video game on the PC is mirrored on the SHIELD, and players use the SHIELD's touchscreen or wireless controller to send user movement to the PC. See thin client.

Big-Screen Viewing
Content running on SHIELD devices can be sent via an HDMI cable to a TV for living room viewing. To deliver the 10-foot user interface experience, the SHIELD Wi-Fi controller can be used to play games and surf the Web on a big screen. See Tegra and 10-foot user interface.

SHIELD Portable and Tablet

While the Tegra 4-based Portable (top) attaches to a 5" screen that renders 720p resolution, the Tegra K1-based 8" Tablet supports HD 1080p video. The Tablet includes a version of NVIDIA's Kepler GPU used in high-end gaming PCs. Both units offer superior sound for a great gaming experience. (Images courtesy of NVIDIA Corporation.)

SHIELD Portable and Tablet

While the Tegra 4-based Portable (top) attaches to a 5" screen that renders 720p resolution, the Tegra K1-based 8" Tablet supports HD 1080p video. The Tablet includes a version of NVIDIA's Kepler GPU used in high-end gaming PCs. Both units offer superior sound for a great gaming experience. (Images courtesy of NVIDIA Corporation.)

Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Shield

 

(1) A type of protective armament used to ward off the blows of cold-steel weapons. Shields were worn on the arm, which was passed through straps or rigid bands. The earliest shields were of various shapes and were made of wood, leather, or plaited twigs. Mesopotamians of the third millennium B.C. used wooden shields that were partially covered with copper plates. Bronze shields appeared in the second millennium B.C. in Assyria. The bronze shields of the kings of Urartu were covered with relief work and cuneiform characters.

The round, wooden—less often, iron—shields used in ancient Greece bore warriors’ emblems, such as the dolphin or the lion. The Romans used round, iron shields and four-cornered shields made of wood and leather. Shields in early medieval Europe were also round and had umbones. Almond-shaped shields came into wide use in the 11th century; in the mid-13th century they were supplanted by triangular shields.

Symbols—rudimentary coats of arms—appeared on shields in the 12th century. In the second half of the 14th century and in the 15th century, the warriors of northern Rus’ used the paveza, a rectangular pavis with rounded corners. The field of the pavis was divided into three parts by a trough, which facilitated defensive movements. The Russian cavalry used round shields from the 14th to early 16th centuries. Shields became smaller with improvements in armor and went out of use when firearms were developed.

The shield served as a symbol of military honor and victory. Pagan warriors took oaths on their shields. In 907, in Tsar’grad (Constantinople), Oleg “hung his shield on the gates as a sign of victory.” Shields in Rus’ were made by special artisans known as shchitniki (shield-makers). There was in Novgorod a street called Shchitnaia (Shield), where, apparently, the shield-makers lived.

(2) An armor plate with slots for gun or machine-gun sights. The shield is used to protect the gun crew and the gun’s mechanisms from bullets and shrapnel. On some towed weapons, the shield is mounted forward of the sight and sighting devices.

REFERENCE

Kirpichnikov, A. N. Drevnerusskoe oruzhie, issue 3. Leningrad, 1971.

D. A. AVDUSIN

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Shield

 

(geology), the largest positive structure of cratons, contrasted to the platform. Within the shields there are outcrops of strongly metamorphosed Precambrian crystalline rocks (granites, gneisses, and schists), which constitute the basement of the cratons. Shields are irregular, flat uplifts and are usually uplifted segments of the crust. Their outlines show great stability for long periods of time.

The term “shield” was first suggested by E. Suess in 1885 for the extensive outcrops of Precambrian rocks in North America (the Canadian Shield) and Northern Europe (the Baltic Shield). The term “crystalline shield” was proposed by N. S. Shatskii in 1947.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.