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 bib for a woman's dress b: dickey 1a4: a thin film of air held by water-repellent hairs of some aquatic insects