Definitions for tortoise
ˈtɔr təstor·toise

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. tortoise(noun)

   usually herbivorous land turtles having clawed elephant-like limbs; worldwide in arid area except Australia and Antarctica

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. tortoise(Noun)

   Any of various land-dwelling reptiles, of family Testudinidae, whose body is enclosed in a shell (carapace plus plastron). The animal can withdraw its head and four legs partially into the shell, providing some protection from predators.

Origin: tortuse, tortuce, tortuge, from tortuca, possibly from tartarucha, from tartaruchus, from ταρταροῦχος, because it used to be thought that tortoises and turtles came from the underworld; or from tortus.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Tortoise(noun)

   any one of numerous species of reptiles of the order Testudinata

2. Tortoise(noun)

   same as Testudo, 2

3. Tortoise(noun)

   having a color like that of a tortoise's shell, black with white and orange spots; -- used mostly to describe cats of that color

4. Tortoise(noun)

   a tortoise-shell cat

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Tortoise

   Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles in the order Testudines. Like their marine relatives, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise endoskeleton has the adaptation of having an external shell fused to the ribcage. Tortoises can vary in size from a few centimeters to two meters. They are usually diurnal animals with tendencies to be crepuscular depending on the ambient temperatures. They are generally reclusive animals.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Tortoise

   tor′tis, or -tois, n. together with turtles, a well-defined order of reptiles, distinguished especially by the dorsal (carapace) and ventral (plastron) shields which protect the body.—n. Tor′toise-shell, the horny epidermic plate of a species of turtle.—adj. of the colour of the foregoing, mottled in yellow and black. [O. Fr. tortis—L. tortus, twisted.]

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. tortoise

   Song lyrics by tortoise -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by tortoise on the Lyrics.com website.

How to pronounce tortoise?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say tortoise in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of tortoise in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of tortoise in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of tortoise in a Sentence

1. Travis Bruner:

   Those' threats' are now mostly imprisoned and awaiting trial, but the crimes against desert tortoise continue.

2. The Notorious B.I.G. Green:

   Just like a person who has a dog would hire a dog walker, I figured why not a tortoise walker? it took on a life of its own ... I heard from about 500.

3. E. B. White:

   Deathlessness should be arrived at in a... haphazard fashion. Loving fame as much as any man, we shall carve our initials in the shell of a tortoise and turn him loose in a peat bog.

4. Eric Good:

   People poach ploughshare tortoises for their value as pets, like coin collectors who want a mint coin, collectors want a perfect tortoise, so by defacing the animals we make them less appealing to buyers.

5. Jeb Bush:

   I got an email from brother George saying, 'Well done, Tortoise,' that's my new nickname because I told him I'm the tortoise in the race: slow, steady progress. Stay focused, stay steady, do the right thing each and every day.

Images & Illustrations of tortoise

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