tor·toise
noun/ˈtɔːtəs/
/ˈtɔːrtəs/
- a reptile with a hard round shell, that lives on land and moves very slowly. It can pull its head and legs into its shell.
enlarge image
compare terrapin, turtleTopics Animalsb2陆龟;龟 Oxford Collocations DictionaryTortoise is used before these nouns:- shell
Word Originlate Middle English tortu, tortuce: from Old French tortue and Spanish tortuga, both from medieval Latin tortuca, of uncertain origin. The current spelling dates from the mid 16th cent.