tortoise

American  

[tawr-tuhs] / ˈtɔr təs /

noun

tortoises plural

1. a turtle, especially a terrestrial turtle.

2. a very slow person or thing.

3. testudo.

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tortoise British  

/ ˈtɔːtəs /

noun

1. any herbivorous terrestrial chelonian reptile of the family Testudinidae, of most warm regions, having a heavy dome-shaped shell and clawed limbs

2. another name for terrapin

3. a slow-moving person

4. another word for testudo See also giant tortoise

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Usage

What’s the difference between a tortoise and a turtle? The words tortoise and turtle are sometimes used interchangeably, and turtle is the more general term. The word tortoise is sometimes used to distinguish a turtle as being a terrestrial (mostly land-dwelling) one, as opposed to an aquatic turtle (one that spends most of its time in water). However, this doesn’t mean that a turtle is necessarily aquatic simply because it’s called a turtle. For example, the box turtle is primarily terrestrial (it can also be called the box tortoise). Turtles and tortoises are both reptiles that belong to the order Testudines. Whether something is called a tortoise or a turtle often depends on its habitat and physical features. Some aquatic turtles, like snapping turtles, have webbed feet, while others, like sea turtles, have flippers. In contrast, turtles that are called tortoises typically have stubby, round feet, and their shells are often more domed. Here are a few quick questions to help you determine whether it’s more appropriate to call something a tortoise or a turtle. Q: Does it spend a lot of time in the water and have webbed feet or flippers?A: It’s probably called a turtle. Q: Does it live mostly on land and have a domed shell and round feet?A: There’s a good chance it’s called a tortoise, but this isn’t always the case. Q: Is it a teenaged, mutant ninja?A: It’s a turtle. Still stumped? Ask a herpetologist. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between tortoises and turtles.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tortoises
  plural

Etymology

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)

Explanation

A tortoise is a reptile with a hard, rounded shell. It's a type of turtle that lives on land all the time — so bring your pet tortoise in the sandbox with you, but not in the pool! A tortoise is a turtle, but a turtle isn't necessarily a tortoise! While most turtles are excellent swimmers and spend much of their time in the water, tortoises are full-time land dwellers. Their shells are more rounded than those of the typical turtle, and they don't have webbed feet. These are adaptations that help tortoises thrive on land, although they are notoriously slow (think "The Tortoise and the Hare").

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tortoise tortoises

“We have a healthy tortoise of an economy,” said David Kelly, J.P.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

Godzilla the rescue Sulcata tortoise lounged in a tidy shaded yard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

Forbes calls that “the tortoise and hare approach.”

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

One party source describes it as "tortoise and hare - maybe one day Ed will even dress up as a tortoise".

From BBC ● May 2, 2026

After 31 steps, Achilles is 931 trillionths of a foot away from the target—69 trillionths closer than you needed—while the tortoise, again, is half that distance away.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Turtles and tortoises rarely develop the disease, but a white and yellow leopard gecko known in the pet trade as the "lemon frost" morph develops aggressive tumors in about 80% of individuals.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

A single atoll in the Seychelles serves as home to hundreds of thousands of tortoises, while millions of flamingoes flock annually to Lake Natron in Tanzania.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Bernard lives next to the project site and has documented multiple desert tortoises on and around her property — including Squiggles, who was given the nickname for leaving wavy tracks in the sand.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

More than 150 giant tortoises have been reintroduced to Floreana Island in Ecuador's famed Galapagos archipelago where they disappeared more than a century ago.

From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026

"Parents like that are still better than no parents at all, right? What do you think? Don't tortoises have parents?"

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke