tortoise
pronunciation
How to pronounce tortoise in British English:
UK [ˈtɔːtəs]
How to pronounce tortoise in American English:
US [ˈtɔːrtəs]
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- Noun:
- usually herbivorous land turtles having clawed elephant-like limbs; worldwide in arid area except Australia and Antarctica
Word Origin
- tortoise
- tortoise: see turtle
- tortoise (n.)
- 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 Tartarus). Others propose a source in 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 pattern of markings is from 1782.
Example
- 1. The tortoise doesn 't even know this is shocking .
- 2. Licences to develop oil fields are being awarded at tortoise speed .
- 3. The rare bell 's hinged tortoise photo : alamy
- 4. In the mojave they fret about a species of tortoise .
- 5. The first story was aesop 's fable the tortoise and the hare .