plastron Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the ornamental front of a woman's bodice or shirt
  2. noun the front of man's dress shirt
  3. noun a metal breastplate that was worn under a coat of mail
  4. noun a large pad worn by a fencer to protect the chest
  5. noun (zoology) the part of a turtle's shell forming its underside

WordNet

Plas"tron noun
Etymology
F. plastron breastplate, plastron, LL. plastra a thin plate of metal. See Plaster.
Definitions
  1. A piece of leather stuffed or padded, worn by fencers to protect the breast. Dryden.
  2. (Anc. Armor) An iron breastplate, worn under the hauberk.
  3. (Anat.) The ventral shield or shell of tortoises and turtles. See Testudinata.
  4. A trimming for the front of a woman's dress, made of a different material, and narrowing from the shoulders to the waist.

Webster 1913