Definition of testudo in English English dictionary
a protective screen formed by a body of troops holding their shields above their heads
(plural testudos or testudines) (in ancient Rome) a screen on wheels and with an arched roof, used to protect besieging troops
This cover resembled the back of a tortoise, and served to shelter the men from darts, stones, and other missiles
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
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 Græca) and the gopher of the Southern United States
a species of lyre; so called in allusion to the lyre of Mercury, fabled to have been made of the shell of a tortoise
type genus of the Testudinidae a movable protective covering that provided protection from above; used by Roman troops when approaching the walls of a besieged fortification