tortoise

ˈtɔɹ.təs

1 definition

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#1·2h ago

Any of various land-dwelling reptiles, of the family (chiefly, North America) or the order (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.

The tortoise, with its characteristic protrusion of the head and neck, was a symbol sacred to Venus. It represented the procreative principle.

Origin: From , tortuce, tortuge, from , of uncertain origin. May be from , from tartarūchus, from , 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. Or, from . The French-looking Modern English spelling tortoise may be influenced by porpoise. Displaced native. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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