Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- Having a very large pronotum extended like a shield over the next two thoracic segments: specifically noting a group of wingless grasshoppers (Locustidæ) known in the United States as western crickets, as of the genera Thyreonotus and Anabrus.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word shield-backed.
Examples
-
Following an unseasonably warm winter, some in Elko County fear a big crop this year of Mormon crickets, known more precisely as shield-backed katydids, or Anabrus simplex.
Against Insect Plague, Nevadans Wield Ultimate Weapon: Hard Rock 2009
-
I was shield-backed now by my own sense that this was one of those times when Fortune not only smiled but put out her hand to aid, and that I needed only to keep my wits about me to have matters go as I willed.
Year of the Unicorn Norton, Andre 1965
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.