turtle

¹tur·tle

noun \ˈtər-t^əl\

Definition of TURTLE

archaic

: turtledove

Origin of TURTLE

Middle English, from Old English turtla, from Latin turtur

First Known Use: before 12th century

Rhymes with TURTLE

fertile, hurtle, kirtle, myrtle, spurtle

²turtle

noun, often attributive

plural turtles also turtle

Definition of TURTLE

: 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plates usually covered with horny shields enclosing the trunk and into which the head, limbs, and tail usually may be withdrawn

Origin of TURTLE

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

First Known Use: 1612

Rhymes with TURTLE

hurtle

³turtle

noun

Definition of TURTLE

: turtleneck

First Known Use of TURTLE

1952

tur·tle

noun , often attrib \ˈtərt-^əl\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural ; turtlesalso ; turtle

Medical Definition of TURTLE

: any of an order (Testudines) 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plates usually covered with horny shields enclosing the trunk and into which the head, limbs, and tail usually may be withdrawn—called also chelonian

turtle

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of approximately 300 species (order Testudines) of reptiles that have a bony shell overlaid with horny shields and are 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 5 ft (1.5 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 of the known turtle species are rare, threatened, or endangered. See also box turtle; painted turtle; snapping turtle; softshell turtle; terrapin; tortoise.