turtle

tur·tle

Use turtle in a sentence

noun

The definition of a turtle is an aquatic reptile and is a member of the order Testudines or Chelonia.

An example of a turtle is a sea turtle.

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"turtle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Turtle>.

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turtle. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Turtle

turtle

noun

pl. -·tles or -·tle

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beak and a soft body encased in a tough shell into which, in most species, the head, tail, and four legs may be withdrawn: although aquatic, esp.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
the flesh of some turtles, used as food
turtleneck
Archaic turtledove

Origin of turtle

altered, probably influenced, influence by turtle(dove) from French tortue, tortoise from Vulgar Latin an unverified form tartaruca: see tortoise

intransitive verb

-·tled, -·tling

to hunt for turtles

turtle Idioms

turn turtle

to turn upside down; capsize

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"turtle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Turtle>.

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turtle. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Turtle

turtle

noun

Any of various aquatic or terrestrial egg-laying reptiles of the order Testudines (or Chelonia), having horny toothless jaws and a bony or leathery shell into which the head, limbs, and tail can be withdrawn in most species.
Any of various members of this order that live in fresh or brackish water, in contrast to the terrestrial tortoises.
Chiefly British A sea turtle.
The flesh of certain turtles, used for food.

intransitive verb

tur·tled, tur·tling, tur·tles

To hunt for turtles, especially as an occupation.
Nautical To capsize.

Origin of turtle

Alteration (influenced by turtle ²) of Middle English tortu from Old French tortue ultimately (probably with influence from Old French tortu crooked ) ( and tordu twisted, from the shape of its legs ) from Vulgar Latin tartarūca feminine of *tartarūcus of Tartarus (the turtle being a symbol of the forces of darkness in early Christian iconography) from Late Latin tartarūchus from Late Greek tartaroukhos occupying Tartarus Tartaros Tartarus ekhein to hold ; see eunuch .

Related Forms:

tur′tler
noun

noun

Archaic

A turtledove.

Origin of turtle

Middle English from Old English from Latin turtur probably of imitative origin

noun

A turtleneck.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"turtle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Turtle>.

APA Style

turtle. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Turtle

Noun

(plural turtles)

Any land or marine reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body.
(Australia, UK) A sea turtle.
(military) An Ancient Roman attack method, where the shields held by the soldiers hide them, not only left, right, front and back, but also from above.
(computing) A type of robot having a domed case (so resembling the reptile), used in education, especially for making line drawings by means of a computer program.
(computing) An on-screen cursor that serves the same function as a turtle for drawing.
(printing, historical) The curved plate in which the form is held in a type-revolving cylinder press.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present turtles, present participle turtling, simple past and past participle turtled)

To flip over onto the back or top; to turn upside down.
To turn and swim upside down.
To hunt turtles, especially in the water.
(video games) To build up a large defense force and strike only punctually, rather than going for an offensive strategy.

Origin

Modification of French tortue (probably under the influence of turtledove). See tortoise for more.

Noun

(plural turtles)

(now rare, archaic) A turtle dove.

Origin

Old English turtla, ultimately from Latin turtur (“turtledove"), of imitative origin.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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MLA Style

"turtle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Turtle>.

APA Style

turtle. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Turtle

turtle - Computer Definition

(1) See Turtle Beach and Turtle Graphics.

(2) (Terse RDF Triple LanguagE) A variant of the N3 (Notation 3) syntax for writing RDF text. See RDF.

Computer Desktop Encyclopedia THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher. © 1981-2017 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved.