tortoise

noun

tor·​toise ˈtȯr-təs 

1

: any of a family (Testudinidae) of terrestrial turtles

broadly : turtle

2

: someone or something regarded as slow or laggard

Examples of tortoise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ploughshare tortoises, which exist in the wild only in Madagascar, had once reaped six figures on the black market. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

The governor’s mansion, Plantation House, was built in 1791 by the East India Company, and is famed today as the home of Jonathan, a tortoise from the Seychelles who is now aged about 194 and thought to be the oldest creature on Earth. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 11 Oct. 2026

Also, invasive rats and cats continue to prey on vulnerable tortoise eggs and hatchlings. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026

To get the tortoise’s DNA material, Jonathan’s veterinarian Joe Hollins pretended to feed him, wedged his mouth open with a hard glove and scraped cells from inside his cheek. — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tortu, tortuse, from Anglo-French tortue — more at turtle

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing tortoise

• desert tortoise
• giant tortoise
• tortoise beetle

Rhymes for tortoise

• fortis
• mortis
• abortus

Kids Definition

tortoise

noun

tor·​toise ˈtȯrt-əs 

: turtle entry 2

especially : a land-dwelling turtle