HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
n. 1. A broad piece of armor made of rigid material and strapped to the arm or carried in the hand for protection against hurled or thrusted weapons. 2. A person or thing that provides protection. 3. A protective device or structure, as: a. A steel sheet attached to an artillery piece to protect gunners from small-arms fire and shrapnel. b. Physics A wall or housing of concrete or lead built around a nuclear reactor to prevent the escape of radiation. c. Electronics A structure or arrangement of metal plates or mesh designed to protect a piece of electronic equipment from electrostatic or magnetic interference. d. A pad worn, as at the armpits, to protect a garment from perspiration. e. A sanitary napkin. 4. Zoology A protective plate or similar hard outer covering; a scute or scutellum. 5. Something that resembles a shield, as: a. An escutcheon. b. A decorative emblem that often serves to identify an organization or a government. c. A police officer's badge. 6. Geology The ancient, stable, interior layer of continents composed of primarily Precambrian igneous or metamorphic rocks. Also called continental shield. v. shield·ed, shield·ing, shields v.tr. 1. To protect from being attacked, exposed to danger, or subjected to difficulty: "a policymaking elite whose families and purses are shielded from the sacrifices war entails" (Uwe E. Reinhardt). See Synonyms at defend. 2. To cover up; conceal: "Though many eyes were watching, none could pierce the halo of morning sunlight that surrounded and shielded the hawk" (Peter Dunne). v.intr. To act or serve as a shield or safeguard. shielder n.  (click for a larger image) shieldMasai warrior with spear and shield |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
