tortoise
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. compare terrapin, turtleTopics Animalsb2
enlarge imageOxford 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.
