Definition of turtle Turtle

/tɚˈtʌl/ - [tertul] - tur•tle

We found 24 definitions of turtle from 8 different sources.

What does turtle mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: turtles
turtle - any of various aquatic and land reptiles having a bony shell and flipper-like limbs for swimming
		chelonian, chelonian reptile a reptile of the order Chelonia
		marine turtle, sea turtle any of various large turtles with limbs modified into flippers; widely distributed in warm seas
		snapping turtle large aggressive freshwater turtle with powerful jaws
		mud turtle bottom-dwelling freshwater turtle inhabiting muddy rivers of North America and Central America
		terrapin any of various edible North American web-footed turtles living in fresh or brackish water
		pseudemys rubriventris, red-bellied terrapin, red-bellied turtle, redbelly freshwater turtle of Chesapeake Bay tributaries having red markings on the lower shell
		pseudemys scripta, yellow-bellied terrapin, slider a fastball that curves slightly away from the side from which it was thrown
		cooter, pseudemys concinna, river cooter large river turtle of the southern United States and northern Mexico
		box tortoise, box turtle chiefly terrestrial turtle of North America; shell can be closed tightly
		chrysemys picta, painted terrapin, painted tortoise, painted turtle freshwater turtles having bright yellow and red markings; common in the eastern United States
		tortoise usually herbivorous land turtles having clawed elephant-like limbs; worldwide in arid area except Australia and Antarctica
		pancake turtle, soft-shelled turtle voracious aquatic turtle with a flat flexible shell covered by a leathery skin; can inflict painful bites
		carapace, cuticle, shield, shell hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles
turtle - a sweater or jersey with a high close-fitting collar
		turtleneck, polo-neck
		sweater, jumper a crocheted or knitted garment covering the upper part of the body
		t-shirt, tee shirt, jersey a breed of diary cattle developed on the island of Jersey
Verb turtles, turtling, turtled
turtle - hunt for turtles, especially as an occupation
		hunt down, track down, hunt, run pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals); "Goering often hunted wild boars in Poland"; "The dogs are running deer"; "The Duke hunted in these woods"
turtle - overturn accidentally; "Don't rock the boat or it will capsize!"
		capsize, turn turtle
		tip over, tump over, overturn, turn over turn from an upright or normal position; "The big vase overturned"; "The canoe tumped over"

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Wiktionary

turtle (Noun)
Any land or marine reptile of the order , characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body.
turtle (Noun)
A sea turtle .
turtle (Noun)
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.
turtle (Noun)
A type of robot having a domed case and so resembling the reptile, used in education, especially for making line drawing s by means of a computer program .
turtle (Noun)
An on-screen cursor that serves the same function as a turtle for drawing.
turtle (Noun)
The curved plate in which the form is held in a type-revolving cylinder press.
turtle (Noun)
A turtle dove .
turtle (Verb)
To flip over onto the back or top; to turn upside down .
turtle (Verb)
To turn and swim upside down .
turtle (Verb)
To hunt turtles, especially in the water.
turtle (Verb)
To build up a large defense force and strike only punctually, rather than going for an offensive strategy.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

turtle (n.)
The turtledove.
turtle (n.)
Any one of the numerous species of Testudinata, especially a sea turtle, or chelonian.
turtle (n.)
The curved plate in which the form is held in a type-revolving cylinder press.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

turtle
A reptile of the order Testudines (the crown group of the superorder Chelonia), characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

turtle
tur′tl, Turtle-dove, tur′tl-duv, n. a genus of Columbidæ, of graceful build, with small head and slender bill, long wings, and long rounded tail, flying swiftly and noiselessly, noted for their beauty of form and colour, their soft cooing, and their affection towards each other and their young. [A.S. turtle; Ger. turtel, Fr. tourtereau, tourterelle; all from the L. name turtur.]
turtle
tur′tl, n. any tortoise, but esp. the edible Green Turtle, prized for the soup made from its flesh, chief glory of aldermanic banquets—Calipash is the part of the animal that belongs to the upper shield, a fatty, gelatinous substance of a dull-greenish colour; Calipee, the yellowish meat of the lower shield.—v.t. to pursue turtles.—ns. Tur′tleback, a turtle-shaped projection on the bows or stern of a ship for the purpose of keeping off heavy seas; Tur′tler, a hunter of turtles; Tur′tle-shell, tortoise-shell: a turtle-cowry; Tur′tle-soup, a soup the chief ingredient of which is turtle meat; Turt′ling, the catching of turtles.—Green turtle, a species of turtle which attains great size and is the source of real turtle-soup—its eggs also are much prized; Mock turtle, a soup made of calf's head in lieu of turtle meat; Turn turtle, to capsize, as a boat. [A corr. of tortoise, or of Sp. tortuga, or Port. tartaruga, a tortoise.]

Sailor's Word-BookThe Sailor's Word-Book ⛵

turtle
The well-known marine reptile described by early navigators as "reasonable toothsom meate." The horny covering of the shell of some species furnishes the substance commonly known as tortoise-shell.

Wikipedia

A turtle is a type of animal that may live on land or in the water.

Turtles have shells and are the slowest moving reptiles. Most turtles that live in the water have webbed feet like a duck. Tortoises have thick legs like elephants and sea turtles have flippers.

Turtles can see things that are close very well. They cannot see far-away things well.

All turtles need to breathe air. When a turtle breathes, special muscles push the air in and out of the lungs. Turtles are ectothermic. This means that their temperature goes up and down with the temperature of the water and air around them. Some turtles can live for up to a year without eating. Turtles drink water often.

All turtles can live for a long time without food. Tortoises eat plants, fruits and flowers. Some turtles eat fish, tadpoles, snails and insects.

Turtles evolved from reptiles with ribs.

Anatomy and morphology.

Turtles vary widely in size, although marine turtles tend to be relatively bigger animals than their land and freshwater relatives.

The largest chelonian is a marine turtle, the great leatherback sea turtle, which reaches a shell length of 200 cm (80 inches) and can reach a weight of over 900 kg (2,000 lb, or 1 short ton). Freshwater turtles are generally smaller, but with the largest species, the Asian softshell turtle Pelochelys cantorii, a few individuals have been reported to measure up to 200 cm or 80 in (Das, 1991). This dwarfs even the better-known alligator snapping turtle, the largest chelonian in N

Part of speech

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turtle, verb, present, 1st person singular of turtle (infinitive).
turtle, verb (infinitive).
turtle, noun, singular of turtles / turtle.
turtle, noun, plural of turtle.

Pronunciation

Word frequency

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Sign Language

turtle in sign language