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. 2019

Related Words for leatherback

tortoise, slowpoke, chelonian, snapper, terrapin, cooter, loggerhead, testudinal

Examples from the Web for leatherback

Contemporary Examples of leatherback

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 of leatherback

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