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plastron

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Plastron

Main Entry:: plas·tron
Pronunciation:: \ˈplas-trən\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: Middle French, from Old Italian piastrone, augmentative of piastra thin metal plate — more at piastre
Date:: circa 1507

1 a: a metal breastplate formerly worn under the hauberk b: a quilted pad worn in fencing practice to protect the chest, waist, and the side on which the weapon is held2: the ventral part of the shell of a tortoise or turtle consisting typically of nine symmetrically placed bones overlaid by horny plates3 a: a trimming like a biblical for a woman's dress b: dickey 1a4: a thin film of air held by water-repellent hairs of some aquatic insects

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