box turtle
noun
any of several chiefly terrestrial turtles of the genus Terrapene, of North America, having a hinged plastron that can be tightly shut to enclose and protect the body.
Origin of box turtle
1An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805
- Also called box tortoise.
Words Nearby box turtle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use box turtle in a sentence
Natural history of the ornate box turtle, Terrapeneornata ornata Agassiz.
A Distributional Study of the Amphibians of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico | William E. DuellmanSilent—so long that a box turtle placed a blundering claw on his shoe before it understood that Reuben was no rock.
Wilderness of Spring | Edgar PangbornNatural history of the ornate box turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz.
Natural History of the Bell Vireo, Vireo bellii Audubon | Jon C. BarlowWear on the shell of a box turtle reduces the thickness of scutes, as does the shedding of scutes in the aquatic emyids mentioned.
The plastron of a juvenal box turtle is not completely immovable.
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