leatherback turtle

[leth -er-bak]

See more synonyms for leatherback turtle on Thesaurus.com

noun

a sea turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, having the shell embedded in a leathery skin, reaching a length of more than 7 feet (2.1 meter) and a weight of more than 1000 pounds (450 kg): the largest living sea turtle; an endangered species.

Origin of leatherback turtle

First recorded in 1875–80; leather + back¹

Also called leath·er·back.

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

Examples from the Web for leatherback

Contemporary Examples

Leatherback turtles, opah, and large numbers of ocean sunfish have been reported off Washington.
Fishy Mystery: Are Beached Oarfish Trying to Tell Us Something?
Kevin Bailey
October 23, 2013

Historical Examples

The Leatherback, or Trunk Turtle, is the largest of the sea turtles, sometimes reaching a weight of half a ton.
Pathfinder
Alan Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for leatherback

leatherback

noun

a large turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, of warm and tropical seas, having a ridged leathery carapace: family DermochelidaeAlso called (in Britain): leathery 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