4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A scale insect. (See below.)
5. (Bot.)
Defn: A small appendage like a rudimentary leaf, resembling the scales of a fish in form, and often in arrangement; as, the scale of a bud, of a pine cone, and the like. The name is also given to the chaff on the stems of ferns.
6. The thin metallic side plate of the handle of a pocketknife. See Illust. of Pocketknife.
7. An incrustation deposit on the inside of a vessel in which water is heated, as a steam boiler.
8. (Metal.)
Defn: The thin oxide which forms on the surface of iron forgings. It consists esentially of the magnetic oxide, Fe3O4. Also, a similar coating upon other metals. Covering scale (Zoöl.), a hydrophyllium. — Ganoid scale (Zoöl.) See under Ganoid. — Scale armor (Mil.), armor made of small metallic scales overlapping, and fastened upon leather or cloth. — Scale beetle (Zoöl.), the tiger beetle. — Scale carp (Zoöl.), a carp having normal scales. — Scale insect (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of small hemipterous insects belonging to the family Coccidæ, in which the females, when adult, become more or less scalelike in form. They are found upon the leaves and twigs of various trees and shrubs, and often do great damage to fruit trees. See Orange scale,under Orange. — Scale moss (Bot.), any leafy-stemmed moss of the order Hepaticæ; — so called from the small imbricated scalelike leaves of most of the species. See Hepatica, 2, and Jungermannia.
SCALE
Scale, v. t.
1. To strip or clear of scale or scales; as, to scale a fish; to scale the inside of a boiler.