soft-shelled turtle

noun

any of numerous aquatic turtles of the family Trionychidae, inhabiting North America, Asia, and Africa, having the shell covered with flexible, leathery skin instead of horny plates.

Origin of soft-shelled turtle

First recorded in 1765–75

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

British Dictionary definitions for soft-shelled turtle

soft-shelled turtle

noun

any freshwater turtle of the family Trionychidae, having a flattened soft shell consisting of bony plates covered by a leathery skin

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