scutellum Definition

scutellum
noun scutella

1. bot.
In the seeds of certain flowering plants, eg maize: the tissue that surrounds, and serves as a food store for, the developing embryo.
2. The third dorsal plate of a segment of an insect's thorax.
3. A scale of a bird's foot.

Etymology: 18c: Latin, meaning ‘tray', from scutum shield.