chelonian

[ ki-loh-nee-uhn ]
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adjective
  1. belonging or pertaining to the reptilian order Testudines (formerly Chelonia), comprising turtles, tortoises, and terrapins.

noun
  1. a turtle, tortoise, or terrapin.

Origin of chelonian

1
First recorded in 1820–30; from New Latin Chelōni(a) (from Greek chelṓn(ē) “turtle” + Latin -ia, neuter plural noun suffix) + -an

Words Nearby chelonian

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How to use chelonian in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chelonian

chelonian

/ (kɪˈləʊnɪən) /


noun
  1. any reptile of the order Chelonia, including the tortoises and turtles, in which most of the body is enclosed in a protective bony capsule

adjective
  1. of, relating to, belonging to, or characteristic of the Chelonia

Origin of chelonian

1
C19: from New Latin Chelōnia, from Greek khelōnē tortoise

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for chelonian

chelonian

[ kĭ-lōnē-ən ]


  1. Any of various reptiles of the order Chelonia (or Testudines), which includes the turtles and tortoises. Chelonians lack teeth and usually have a hard shell that protects the body and consists of bony plates fused to the vertebrae and ribs. Unlike all other living reptiles, the skulls of chelonians lack temporal openings, which is characteristic of the earliest known reptiles (called anapsids). Chelonians evolved during the late Permian or Triassic Period and have changed little since.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.