turtle

turtle
turtle1
—turtler, n.
/terr"tl/, n., pl. turtles, (esp. collectively) turtle, v., turtled, turtling.
n.
1. any reptile of the order Testudines, comprising aquatic and terrestrial species having the trunk enclosed in a shell consisting of a dorsal carapace and a ventral plastron.
2. (not used technically) an aquatic turtle as distinguished from a terrestrial one. Cf. tortoise (def. 1).
3. turn turtle,
a. Naut. to capsize or turn over completely in foundering.
b. to overturn; upset: Several of the cars turned turtle in the course of the race.
v.i.
4. to catch turtles, esp. as a business.
[1625-35; alter. (influenced by TURTLE2) of F tortue < ML tortuca TORTOISE]
turtle2
/terr"tl/, n. Archaic.
a turtledove.
[bef. 1000; ME, OE < L turtur (imit.)]

* * *

I
Any of more than 250 species (order Chelonia) of reptiles having a bony shell overlaid with horny shields; found in most parts of the world.

Turtles have existed for 200 million years, making them the oldest of all surviving reptiles. Most species are aquatic or semiaquatic; some are terrestrial. Turtles eat plants, animals, or both. They are toothless, have a horny beak, and range from less than 4 in. (10 cm) to more than 7 ft (2 m) long. They have sturdy, sprawling limbs with short feet or paddlelike flippers (marine turtles). Some species bend the neck sideways, but most pull the head and neck backward into the shell. Almost half the known turtle species are rare, threatened, or endangered. See also box turtle, painted turtle, snapping turtle, softshell turtle, terrapin, tortoise.
II
(as used in expressions)

* * *

      one-man submarine, the first to be put to military use, built and designed by the American inventor David Bushnell (Bushnell, David) (q.v.) in 1775 for use against British warships. The pear-shaped vessel, made of oak reinforced with iron bands, measured about 2.3 m (7.5 feet) long by 1.8 m (6 feet) wide. It was equipped with a mine that was to be attached to the hull of an enemy ship. In 1776, in New York harbour, the Turtle tried to sink the British warship HMS Eagle but failed; none of its succeeding missions was successful.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат
Synonyms:
, / ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Turtle — Tur tle, n. [Probably the same word as the word preceding, and substituted (probably by sailors) for the Spanish or Portuguese name; cf. Sp. tortuga tortoise, turtle, Pg. tartaruga, also F. tortue, and E. tortoise.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Zo[ o]l.)… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Turtle — (englisch für Schildkröte) bezeichnet: Turtle F2F, ein p2p Instant Messenger zum Tauschen von Dateien über geprüfte Freundeskontakte Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Comicfiguren Turtle (U Boot), ein U Boot aus dem Jahre 1776 Turtle (DSV 3), ein… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • turtle — [tʉrt′ l] n. pl. turtles or turtle [altered, prob. infl. by TURTLE(DOVE) < Fr tortue, tortoise < VL * tartaruca: see TORTOISE] 1. any of a large and widely distributed order (Testudines) of terrestrial or aquatic reptiles having a toothless …   English World dictionary

  • turtle — the dove [OE] and turtle the marine reptile [17] are different words. The former was borrowed from Latin turtur, which no doubt originated in imitation of the bird’s cooing. It is now encountered only in the compound turtledove, first recorded in …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • turtle — the dove [OE] and turtle the marine reptile [17] are different words. The former was borrowed from Latin turtur, which no doubt originated in imitation of the bird’s cooing. It is now encountered only in the compound turtledove, first recorded in …   Word origins

  • Turtle — Tur tle, n. [AS. turtle, L. turtur; probably of imitative origin. Cf. {Turtle} the sea tortoise.] (Zo[ o]l.) The turtledove. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • turtle — ► NOUN 1) a marine or freshwater reptile with a bony or leathery shell and flippers or webbed toes. 2) Computing a directional cursor in a computer graphics system which can be instructed to move around a screen. ● turn turtle Cf. ↑turn turtle… …   English terms dictionary

  • Turtle [1] — Turtle (engl., spr. Tort l), 1) Turteltaube; 2) Schildkröte, bes. die Riesen , gemeine u. griechische Schildkröte …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Turtle [2] — Turtle, 1) (T. Island, spr. Tort l Eiländ, Batoa, Bittoa), Insel des Fidschiarchipels (Polynesien); 1773 von Cook entdeckt; 2) T. Islands, spr. Tort l Eiländs), so v.w. Schildkröteninseln …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Turtle — (engl., spr. törtl), Schildkröte; Turteltaube …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Turtle — Diary    Comédie dramatique de John Irvin, avec Glenda Jackson, Ben Kingsley, Harriet Walter, Michael Gambon.   Pays: Grande Bretagne   Date de sortie: 1985   Technique: couleurs   Durée: 1 h 36    Résumé    Trois personnages à la dérive, trois… …   Dictionnaire mondial des Films

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”