Question 1 · Quick check
tortoise
CEFRB1
/ˈtɔɹ.təs/
noun
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
noun
A land animal with a hard shell and short legs.
- 02
noun
Extra detailSynonym of cat (sense 11, a wheeled shelter)
Examples
The hare was outdistanced by the tortoise.
The small island looked like a tortoise from a distance.
At a glance
Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 3
- Parts of speech
- 1
- Citations
- 1
- Synonyms
- 1
Deep Dive
noun
Extra meaningAny of various land-dwelling reptiles, of the family Testudinidae (chiefly Canada, US) or the order Testudines (chiefly UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, India), 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.
More examples
In contextThe tortoise, with its characteristic protrusion of the head and neck, was a symbol sacred to Venus. It represented the procreative principle.
Related
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.
Nearby
Origin
noun
From Middle English tortuse, tortuce, tortuge, from Medieval Latin tortuca, of uncertain origin. May be from Late Latin tartarūcha, from tartarūchus, from Ancient Greek ταρταροῦχος (tartaroûkhos, “holder of Tartaros, Tartarus, the land of the dead in ancient stories”), because it used to be thought that tortoises and turtles came from the underworld and they were commonly paired with such infernal beasts; see Τάρταρος (Tártaros). Or, from Latin tortus (“twisted”). The French-looking Modern English spelling tortoise may be influenced by porpoise. Displaced native Old English byrdling.