shield
pronunciation
How to pronounce shield in British English:
UK [ʃiːld]
How to pronounce shield in American English:
US [ʃiːld]
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- Noun:
- a protective covering or structure
- armor carried on the arm to intercept blows
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- Verb:
- protect, hide, or conceal from danger or harm
- hold back a thought or feeling about
Word Origin
- shield
- shield: [OE] Shield goes back to a prehistoric Germanic *skelduz, which also produced German and Dutch schild, Swedish sköld, and Danish skjoldr. This was probably derived from the Germanic base *skel- ‘divide, split, separate’ (source also of English scale, shell, etc), and hence denoted etymologically a ‘flat piece of wood produced by splitting a log, board’. Shelter is probably descended from a compound formed from shield.=> scale, shell, shelter
- shield (n.)
- Old English scield, scild "shield; protector, defense," literally "board," from Proto-Germanic *skelduz (cognates: Old Norse skjöldr, Old Saxon skild, Middle Dutch scilt, Dutch schild, German Schild, Gothic skildus), from *skel- "divide, split, separate," from PIE root *(s)kel- (1) "to cut" (see scale (n.1)). Perhaps the notion is of a flat piece of wood made by splitting a log. Shield volcano (1911) translates German Schildvulkan (1910). Plate tectonics sense is from 1906, translating Suess (1888).
- shield (v.)
- Old English gescildan, from the root of shield (n.). Related: Shielded; shielding. Compare German scilden.
Example
- 1. Potent antioxidants found insweet potatoes help to shield our hearts .
- 2. Police and commercial divers throughout australia use shark shield as part of their safety equipment .
- 3. A shield against globalisation and bullying by financial markets .
- 4. Russia is furious about america 's ambitions to extend its missile shield .
- 5. He doubts his international reputation or his father 's name can shield him .