(n.) Armor; whatever is worn or used for the protection and defense of the body, esp. the protective outfit of some animals and plants.
(n.) A piece of soft iron used to connect the two poles of a magnet, or electro-magnet, in order to complete the circuit, or to receive and apply the magnetic force. In the ordinary horseshoe magnet, it serves to prevent the dissipation of the magnetic force.
(n.) Iron bars or framing employed for the consolidation of a building, as in sustaining slender columns, holding up canopies, etc.