tortoise

[tawr-tuh s]

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noun

a turtle, especially a terrestrial turtle.

a very slow person or thing.

Origin of tortoise

1350–1400; variant of earlier (15th-century) tortuse, tortose, tortuce, Middle English tortuca < Medieval Latin tortūca, for Late Latin tartarūcha (feminine adj.) of Tartarus (< Greek tartaroûcha), the tortoise being regarded as an infernal animal; Medieval Latin form influenced by Latin tortus crooked, twisted (see tort)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for tortoise

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

Examples from the Web for tortoise

Contemporary Examples of tortoise

Tortoise disqualified for technical reasons, first place awarded to Sputnik hare.
Why Does the USA Depend on Russian Rockets to Get Us Into Space?
P. J. O’Rourke
June 22, 2014
The tortoise Hollande, early on in his bid to become the Socialist nominee, had only two reporters on his beat.
Against All Odds, Can Sarkozy Pull Out an Election Win vs. Hollande?
Tracy McNicoll
May 4, 2012
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Pattinson may be the tortoise to Lautner's hare.
Is He Sabotaging His Career?
Kim Masters
March 9, 2010
She is married with two children, two dogs, a cat and a tortoise.
Revenge of the Wallflower
Fiona Golfar
June 23, 2009

Historical Examples of tortoise

I had, too, and I own it was absurd, a tortoise named Chrysagre.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
The tortoise in the right road will beat a racer in the wrong.
Self-Help
Samuel Smiles
With these words he took his tortoise on his back and went off.
The Chinese Fairy Book
Various
Gone were the figs and almonds, the indigo, ivory, tortoise shells.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
Nolens Volens tries it by a process like "Achilles and the Tortoise."
A Tangled Tale
Lewis Carroll

British Dictionary definitions for tortoise

tortoise

noun

any herbivorous terrestrial chelonian reptile of the family Testudinidae, of most warm regions, having a heavy dome-shaped shell and clawed limbsRelated adjectives: chelonian, testudinal

water tortoise another name for terrapin

a slow-moving person

another word for testudo See also giant tortoise

Word Origin for tortoise

C15: probably from Old French tortue (influenced by Latin tortus twisted), from Medieval Latin tortūca, from Late Latin tartarūcha coming from Tartarus, from Greek tartaroukhos; referring to the belief that the tortoise originated in the underworld

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

Word Origin and History for tortoise

1550s, altered (perhaps by influence of porpoise) from Middle English tortuse (late 15c.), tortuce (mid-15c.), tortuge (late 14c.), from Medieval Latin tortuca (mid-13c.), perhaps from Late Latin tartaruchus "of the underworld" (see turtle). Others propose a connection with Latin tortus "twisted," based on the shape of the feet. The classical Latin word was testudo, from testa "shell." First record of tortoise shell as a coloring pattern is from 1782.