turtle
Forms
- Plural
- turtles
- present (v1)
- turtle
- past (v2)
- turtled
- past participle (v3)
- turtled
- present participle
- turtling
- 3rd person singular
- turtles
Definitions
1.Any land, aquatic, or semi-aquatic reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body. See also tortoise.
- A unique anti-aphrodisiac was the heart of a turtle carried in a wolf's skin. It prevented a person from ever being tempted amorously.
2.A marine reptile of that order.
3.A type of robot having a domed case (and so resembling the reptile), used in education, especially for making line drawings by means of a computer program.
4.An on-screen cursor that serves the same function as a turtle for drawing.
- Depending on which version of Logo you have, the turtle may look like an actual animal with a head and four legs or, as in Berkeley Logo, it may be represented as a triangle.
1.To flip over onto the back or top; to turn upside down.
- Were speeding when car turtled […] Auto crashed into curb and turtled.
2.To move along slowly.
- We turtled along in Manitoba, back into the heart of the prairies.
3.To turn and swim upside down.
- I turtled my board beneath it, flipped upright, and started paddling again.
4.To hunt turtles, especially in the water.
- Of these, 80 turtled (65%), 26 hunted and turtled (20%), and 18 hunted (15%).
Frequency
Overall
Rare· #4702
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Rare
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Etymology
Modification of Middle English tortou, tortu, from Old French tortüe (under the influence of Middle English turtel, turtur (“turtledove”), see Etymology 2 below), from Old Occitan tortuga (compare Spanish tortuga), the same source of tortoise (see there for more).