turtleback

[ tur-tl-bak ]

noun
  1. Archaeology. tortoise-core.

  2. Furniture. an oval or elliptical boss.

Origin of turtleback

1
First recorded in 1880–85; turtle1 + back1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for turtleback

turtleback

/ (ˈtɜːtəlˌbæk) /


noun
  1. an arched projection over the upper deck of a ship at the bow and sometimes at the stern for protection in heavy seas

  2. (now obsolete in archaeological usage) a crude convex stone axe

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