Meaning & use
testudo
Last updated
A defensive military formation, used especially by Roman soldiers, in which shields are held overlapping to form a protective shell.
See it in a sentence
The legionaries advanced under a testudo, their shields locked together against arrows.
Historians reenacted a testudo formation to show how Roman soldiers protected themselves during a siege.
A note on using this word
Testudo is Latin for 'tortoise,' describing how the overlapping shields resembled a tortoise's shell.
Words with a similar meaning
tortoise formation
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “testudo”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.