tortoise
[ tawr-tuhs ]
/ ˈtɔr təs /
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noun
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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)
Words nearby tortoise
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for tortoise
tortoise
/ (ˈtɔːtəs) /
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
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