Adjacent Words

Turtle definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TUR'TLE, n. [L. turtur.]
1. A fowl of the genus Columba; called also the turtle dove, and turtle pigeon. It is a wild species, frequenting the thickest parts of the woods, and its note is plaintive and tender.
2. The name sometimes given to the common tortoise.
3. The name given to the large sea-tortoise.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a sweater or jersey with a high close-fitting collar [syn: turtleneck, turtle, polo-neck]
2: any of various aquatic and land reptiles having a bony shell and flipper-like limbs for swimming v
1: overturn accidentally; "Don't rock the boat or it will capsize!" [syn: capsize, turtle, turn turtle]
2: hunt for turtles, especially as an occupation

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English turtla, from Latin turtur Date: before 12th century archaic turtledove II. noun (plural turtles; also turtle) Usage: often attributive Etymology: modification of French tortue, from Late Latin (bestia) tartarucha, feminine of tartaruchus of Tartarus, from Greek tartarouchos, from Tartaros Tartarus; from Mithraic and early Christian association of the turtle with infernal forces Date: 1612 any of an order (Testudines syn. Chelonia) of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine reptiles that have a toothless horny beak and a shell of bony dermal plates usually covered with horny shields enclosing the trunk and into which the head, limbs, and tail usually may be withdrawn III. noun Date: 1952 turtleneck

Britannica Concise

Any of more than 250 species (order Chelonia) of reptiles having a bony shell overlaid with horny shields; found in most parts of the world. Turtles have existed for 200 million years, making them the oldest of all surviving reptiles. Most species are aquatic or semiaquatic; some are terrestrial. Turtles eat plants, animals, or both. They are toothless, have a horny beak, and range from less than 4 in. (10 cm) to more than 7 ft (2 m) long. They have sturdy, sprawling limbs with short feet or paddlelike flippers (marine turtles). Some species bend the neck sideways, but most pull the head and neck backward into the shell. Almost half the known turtle species are rare, threatened, or endangered. See also box turtle, painted turtle, snapping turtle, softshell t

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 any of various marine or freshwater reptiles of the order Chelonia, encased in a shell of bony plates, and having flippers or webbed toes used in swimming. 2 the flesh of the turtle, esp. used for soup. 3 Computing a directional cursor in a computer graphics system which can be instructed to move around a screen. Phrases and idioms: turn turtle capsize. turtle-neck 1 a high close-fitting neck on a knitted garment. 2 US = polo-neck. Etymology: app. alt. of tortue: see TORTOISE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Turtle Tur"tle, n. [AS. turtle, L. turtur; probably of imitative origin. Cf. Turtle the sea tortoise.] (Zo["o]l.) The turtledove.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Turtle Tur"tle, n. [Probably the same word as the word preceding, and substituted (probably by sailors) for the Spanish or Portuguese name; cf. Sp. tortuga tortoise, turtle, Pg. tartaruga, also F. tortue, and E. tortoise.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(turtles) 1. A turtle is a large reptile which has a thick shell covering its body and which lives in the sea most of the time. (BRIT; in AM, use sea turtle) N-COUNT 2. A turtle is any reptile that has a thick shell around its body, for example a tortoise or terrapin. (AM) N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Turtle-dove, turtle-pigeon. 2. Sea-tortoise, marine tortoise.