giant tortoise

noun

1. any of several large tortoises of the genus Geochelone, of the Galápagos Islands and islands near Madagascar: some are endangered.

giant tortoise

noun

1. any of various very large tortoises of the genus Testudo, of the Galápagos, Seychelles, and certain other islands, weighing up to 225 kilograms (495 lbs.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of giant tortoise¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Nor did he care to consider such examples of longevity as the giant tortoise and the Yellow Leaf.

From Project Gutenberg

Baguian is famed throughout those seas as a rookery for the giant tortoise—testudo elephantopus.

From Project Gutenberg

The giant tortoise was clearing the kitchen garden of young lettuces; the monkeys were collecting entomological specimens.

From Project Gutenberg

The giant tortoise had transferred itself to his garden, having apparently engaged a wheelbarrow for that purpose.

From Project Gutenberg

The enormous flatboat, that Suzanne had likened to a giant tortoise, darted now like an arrow, dragged by the current.

From Project Gutenberg