turtles

noun pl. turtles -·tles or turtle -·tle

1. any of a large and widely distributed order (Testudines) of terrestrial or aquatic reptiles having a toothless beak and a soft body encased in a tough shell into which, in most species, the head, tail, and four legs may be withdrawn: although aquatic, esp. marine, species are usually called turtle and land species are usually called tortoise, the terms are properly interchangeable for all species
2. the flesh of some turtles, used as food
3. turtleneck
4. Archaic turtledove

Etymology: altered, prob. infl. by turtle(dove) < Fr tortue, tortoise < VL *tartaruca: see tortoise

intransitive verb turtled -·tled, turtling -·tling