plastron

noun

plas·​tron ˈpla-strən 

1

a

: a metal breastplate formerly worn under the hauberk

b

: a quilted pad worn in fencing to protect the chest, waist, and the side on which the weapon is held

2

: the ventral part of the shell of a tortoise or turtle consisting typically of nine symmetrically placed bones overlaid by horny plates

3

a

: a trimming like a bib for a woman's dress

b

: dickey sense 1a

4

: a thin film of air held by water-repellent hairs of some aquatic insects

Did you know?

English speakers first borrowed French's word for a breastplate, plastron, as the name for the protective plate worn under a tunic of [chain mail](/dictionary/chain mail) by knights. In the 17th century, plastron was extended to the pad used to protect the torso of a fencer. Two centuries later, herpetologists appropriated the word for a slightly different type of protection: the underside of a turtle's shell, which consists typically of nine bones overlaid by horny plates. That was followed by the word's application in the world of fashion to coverings that adorn the front of a woman's bodice, such as a lacy bib, as well as to a man's separate or detachable starched shirtfront (which is typically worn under a jacket).

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

To fix the plastron, the center's veterinarian worked with her father, a professor at Marquette University School of Dentistry. —Evan Frank, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2019

Feavel said the turtle was likely hit by a vehicle, which fractured the skull, carapace (top shell) and plastron (bottom shell). —Evan Frank, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2019

The domed carapace covering the back of the animal is connected to the flat plastron on the underside of the animal by a bridge of bone. —Hans-dieter Sues, Smithsonian, 20 Aug. 2019

The origin of the plastron covering the underside of the turtle is less obvious. —Hans-dieter Sues, Smithsonian, 20 Aug. 2019

In all cases, the apes accessed the meat through the bottom of the carapace, breaking a part technically called the plastron. —Douglas Main, National Geographic, 23 May 2019

The cotton poplin plastron shirt took 11 hours to make, according to the French house. —Rosemary Feitelberg | Wwd, latimes.com, 25 Apr. 2018

In all cases, the apes accessed the meat through the bottom of the carapace, breaking a part technically called the plastron. —Douglas Main, National Geographic, 23 May 2019

The cotton poplin plastron shirt took 11 hours to make, according to the French house. —Rosemary Feitelberg | Wwd, latimes.com, 25 Apr. 2018

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Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from Old Italian piastrone, augmentative of piastra thin metal plate — more at piastre

First Known Use

circa 1507, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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