cartouche

noun

1. An ornamental figure, often on an oval shield.
2. An oval figure containing the characters of an important personal name, such as that of royal or divine people.

   “Besides the uncial writing on the convex side of the sherd at the top, painted in dull red, on what had once been the lip of the amphora, was the cartouche already mentioned as being on the scarabaeus, which we had also found in the casket.”

   “In 1762, Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, a French priest who was a scholar of Eastern languages, had made the inspired guess that the cartouches set off words of great importance, such as the names of gods or rulers.”

3. A decorative emblem on a globe or map.
4. A paper cartridge.
5. A wooden case filled with balls, to be shot from a cannon.
6. A gunner's bag for ammunition.
7. A military pass for a soldier on furlough.
8. A parchment disc placed on top of food to limit evaporation, or to prevent a skin forming on soups and stews.