chelonian

[ ki-loh-nee-uh n ]

/ kɪˈloʊ ni ən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chelonian ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the order Chelonia, comprising the turtles.

noun

a turtle.

Nearby words

chellean, chellup, chelmsford, cheloid, chelone, chelonian, chelp, chelsea, chelsea bun, chelsea tractor, cheltenham

Origin of chelonian

1820–30; < New Latin Cheloni(a) (< Greek chelṓn(ē) turtle + New Latin -ia, neuter plural noun suffix) + -an

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chelonian

Also the upper half of the immovable case in which the body of a Chelonian is protected.
The Ancient Life History of the Earth|Henry Alleyne Nicholson
The eighth group is assigned by President Hitchcock to the Chelonian or turtle tribe.
Remarks on some fossil impressions in the sandstone rocks of Connecticut River|John Collins Warren
The Scotch footsteps are situated in the old red sandstone, and are those of a Chelonian.
Remarks on some fossil impressions in the sandstone rocks of Connecticut River|John Collins Warren
How to dissect a Chelonian (red-bellied slider terrapin); Part 2.
Elementary Zoology, Second Edition|Vernon L. Kellogg

Flukes are likewise tolerably abundant in the saurian and chelonian reptiles.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold

British Dictionary definitions for chelonian

chelonian

/ (kɪˈləʊnɪən) /

noun

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

of, relating to, belonging to, or characteristic of the Chelonia

Word Origin for chelonian

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

Science definitions for chelonian

chelonian

[ kĭ-lō′nē-ən ]

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.