shield (redirected from buckler)

shield, armor

shield, piece of defensive armor, worn on the arm or shoulder to ward off weapons during combat, used prior to the dominance of gunpowder. Originally for individual defense during hand-to-hand combat, it is the most primitive and universal item of defensive armor. Shields were made of hide or wood, often reinforced with metal, and could be round, oblong, or rectangular. As armies developed, soldiers carried matching shields to link together for fighting in formations, such as those used by Assyria (2500 B.C.). A soldier's body armor complemented his shield. Heavy infantry carried larger shields than did skirmishers, cavalry carried smaller shields, and bowmen often carried none. Modern riot police carry plastic shields for protection.

---

shield, in geology

shield, in geology: see continent.

---

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