tortoise

noun

tor·​toise ˈtȯr-təs How to pronounce tortoise (audio)
1
: any of a family (Testudinidae) of terrestrial turtles
broadly : turtle
2
: someone or something regarded as slow or laggard

Examples of tortoise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Other excavations in recent years have uncovered a pregnant tortoise, an ancient construction site and a painting of a circular flatbread that resembles a pizza, among other finds. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Oct. 2024 The pieces made of cotton and linen included prints of four celestial elements a dragon, a tiger, a tortoise and a bird. Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024 Conservationists will seek additional protections for the tortoise while next steps are hammered out. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024 Carnival Cruise Ship Rescues 24 People from Small Boat That Was Sinking Off Coast of Florida With just six hours to complete the rescue, the William P. Lawrence along with a boat crew from the Navy rescued the woman, her daughter and their pets, a cat and tortoise, from the boat, officials said. Danielle Jennings, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tortoise 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tortoise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tortu, tortuse, from Anglo-French tortue — more at turtle

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tortoise was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near tortoise

Cite this Entry

“Tortoise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tortoise. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

tortoise

noun
tor·​toise ˈtȯrt-əs How to pronounce tortoise (audio)
: turtle entry 2
especially : a land-dwelling turtle

More from Merriam-Webster on tortoise

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