(n) :
(Armor) A kind of
shield, of various
shapes and
sizes, worn on one of the
arms (usually the left) for
protecting the front of the
body. In the
sword and buckler play of the
Middle Ages in England, the buckler was a small shield, used, not to cover the body, but to
stop or
parry blows; (Armor) A shield resembling the
Roman scutum. In modern usage, a smaller variety of shield is usually implied by this term