Turtle Meaning
/ˈtɜːtl̩/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAny land or marine reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body. See also tortoise.
nounAny land, aquatic, or semi-aquatic reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body. See also tortoise.
Sentence Examples
One day he helped a weak turtle.
We found a turtle in the garden.
Please buy me a turtle, Mother, please buy me a turtle.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The slow ____ moved very slowly across the wide and sandy beach.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A massive sea ____ was seen swimming slowly near the coral reef in the deep and blue waters of the ocean today.
Word Origin & History
Modification of Middle English tortou, tortu, from Old French tortüe (under the influence of Middle English turtel, turtur (“turtledove”), see Etymology 2 below), from Medieval Latin tortuca (compare Spanish tortuga), the same source of tortoise (see there for more). Displaced native Old English byrdling (See birdling).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A unique anti-aphrodisiac was the heart of a turtle carried in a wolf's skin. It prevented a person from ever being tempted amorously."
— 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 238:
"Depending on which version of Logo you have, the turtle may look like an actual animal with a head and four legs or — as in Berkeley Logo — it may be represented as a triangle."
— 1997, Brian Harvey, Computer Science Logo Style: Symbolic computing:
"We turtled along in Manitoba, back into the heart of the prairies."
— 2012, Sophie B. Watson, Cadillac Couches, page 193:
"I turtled my board beneath it, flipped upright, and started paddling again."
— 2009, Amy Waeschle, Chasing Waves: A Surfer's Tale of Obsessive Wandering, page 149:
"Of these, 80 turtled (65%), 26 hunted and turtled (20%), and 18 hunted (15%)."
— 1973, Bernard Nietschmann, Between Land and Water: The Subsistence Ecology of the Miskito Indians, page 153:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The slow ____ moved very slowly across the wide and sandy beach.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A massive sea ____ was seen swimming slowly near the coral reef in the deep and blue waters of the ocean today.