Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [tawr-tuh s]
- /ˈtɔr təs/
- /ˈtɔː.təs/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [tawr-tuh s]
- /ˈtɔr təs/
Definitions of tortoise word
- noun tortoise a turtle, especially a terrestrial turtle. 1
- noun tortoise a very slow person or thing. 1
- noun tortoise testudo (def 1). 1
- noun tortoise animal: land turtle 1
- countable noun tortoise A tortoise is a slow-moving animal with a shell into which it can pull its head and legs for protection. 0
- noun tortoise any herbivorous terrestrial chelonian reptile of the family Testudinidae, of most warm regions, having a heavy dome-shaped shell and clawed limbs 0
Information block about the term
Origin of tortoise
First appearance:
before 1350 One of the 20% oldest English words
1350-1400; variant of earlier (15th-century) tortuse, tortose, tortuce, Middle English tortuca < Medieval Latin tortūca, for Late Latin tartarūcha (feminine adj.) of Tartarus (< Greek tartaroûcha), the tortoise being regarded as an infernal animal; Medieval Latin form influenced by Latin tortus crooked, twisted (see tort)
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Tortoise
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
tortoise popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 78% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
tortoise usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for tortoise
noun tortoise
- chelonian — any reptile of the order Chelonia, including the tortoises and turtles, in which most of the body is enclosed in a protective bony capsule
- cooter — a large freshwater turtle, Pseudemus concinna, found in southern USA and northern Mexico
- leatherback — a sea turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, having the shell embedded in a leathery skin, reaching a length of more than 7 feet (2.1 meter) and a weight of more than 1000 pounds (450 kg): the largest living sea turtle; an endangered species.
- loggerhead — a thick-headed or stupid person; blockhead.
- loggerheads — a thick-headed or stupid person; blockhead.
Top questions with tortoise
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- what is the difference between a tortoise and a turtle?
- how to take care of a tortoise?
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- what is a tortoise shell cat?
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See also
Matching words
- Words starting with t
- Words starting with to
- Words starting with tor
- Words starting with tort
- Words starting with torto
- Words starting with tortoi
- Words starting with tortois
- Words starting with tortoise