hawksbill turtle

[hawks-bil]

noun

a sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, the shell of which is the source of tortoise shell: an endangered species.

Origin of hawksbill turtle

First recorded in 1650–60; hawk¹ + 's¹ + bill²

Also called hawks·bill, hawkbill, tortoiseshell turtle.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for hawksbill turtle

hawksbill turtle

hawksbill

noun

a small tropical turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, with a hooked beaklike mouth: a source of tortoiseshell: family ChelonidaeAlso called: hawkbill, tortoiseshell turtle

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