Main Entry: tur·tle

Pronunciation: \ˈtərt-^əl\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural turtles also turtle

Usage: often attrib

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plates usually covered with horny shields enclosing the trunk and into which the head, limbs, and tail usually may be withdrawn—called also chelonian