Tortoise

Definition: Tortoise

Tortoise

Noun

1. Usually herbivorous land turtles having clawed elephant-like limbs; worldwide in arid area except Australia and Antarctica.

Date "tortoise" was first used: 1552. (references)

Etymology: Tortoise \Tor"toise\, noun. [from Old English expression tortuce, from the Old French expression tortis crooked, from the Latin expression tortus isted, crooked, contorted, past participle of torquere, tortum, to wind; compare to French tortue tortoise, Late Latin expression tortuca, tartuca, Pr. tortesa crookedness, tortis crooked. so called in allusion to its crooked feet. See Torture.]. (Websters 1913)

Specialty Definition: Tortoise

Domain	Definition
Satire	TORTOISE, n. A creature thoughtfully created to supply occasion for the following lines by the illustrious Ambat Delaso: TO MY PET TORTOISE My friend, you are not graceful -- not at all; Your gait's between a stagger and a sprawl. Nor are you beautiful: your head's a snake's To look at, and I do not doubt it aches. As to your feet, they'd make an angel weep. 'Tis true you take them in whene'er you sleep. No, you're not pretty, but you have, I own, A certain firmness -- mostly you're [sic] backbone. Firmness and strength (you have a giant's thews) Are virtues that the great know how to use -- I wish that they did not; yet, on the whole, You lack -- excuse my mentioning it -- Soul. So, to be candid, unreserved and true, I'd rather you were I than I were you. Perhaps, however, in a time to be, When Man's extinct, a better world may see Your progeny in power and control, Due to the genesis and growth of Soul. So I salute you as a reptile grand Predestined to regenerate the land. Father of Possibilities, O deign To accept the homage of a dying reign! In the far region of the unforeknown I dream a tortoise upon every throne. I see an Emperor his head withdraw Into his carapace for fear of Law; A King who carries something else than fat, Howe'er acceptably he carries that; A President not strenuously bent On punishment of audible dissent -- Who never shot (it were a vain attack) An armed or unarmed tortoise in the back; Subject and citizens that feel no need To make the March of Mind a wild stampede; All progress slow, contemplative, sedate, And "Take your time" the word, in Church and State. O Tortoise, 'tis a happy, happy dream, My glorious testudinous regime! I wish in Eden you'd brought this about By slouching in and chasing Adam out. Source: Devil's Dictionary.
Bible	Tortoise (Heb. tsabh). Ranked among the unclean animals (Lev. 11:29). Land tortoises are common in Syria. The LXX. renders the word by "land crocodile." The word, however, more probably denotes a lizard, called by the modern Arabs _dhabb_. Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary.
Mining	Sometimes applied by miners to structures such as pots, bells, kettles, and other rock masses that tend to fall easily from the roof of a coalmine. See also:pot bottom; camel back. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Slowness	Slow goer, slow coach, slow back; lingerer, loiterer, sluggard, tortoise, snail; poke; dawdle; (inactive).
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

Domain	Title
Books	Jabutí the Tortoise (reference) The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit (reference) (more book examples)

Periodicals	Turtle & Tortoise Education Adoption Media (reference) (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies	Care of the Russian Tortoise (reference) The Firm Cross Trainers: The Tortoise (reference) (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music	Tortoise & Hare (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Consumer Goods	Tortoise Music Box (reference) Wilton Armetale� Serveware - Tortoise Tray (reference) (more baby examples; more wireless phone examples; more garden examples; more kitchen examples; more tool examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. The burrow of an endangered gopher tortoise. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR).		Burrow site with tortoise. Credit: Jerry Sintz.
	The hare and the tortoise. Credit: Library of Congress.		Hare and Tortoise 2000 / Herblock. Credit: Library of Congress.
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Author	Quotation
Bhagavad Gita	Even as a tortoise draws in its limbs, the wise can draw in their senses at will.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Title	Author	Quote
Grapes of Wrath	Steinbeck, John	A plump tortoise shell cat leaped up on the counter and stalked lazily near to him.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Subject	Topic	Quote
Trade	Mauritius	Imports of the following items are prohibited: ball valve bottles, caps for toy guns, recapped tires, white phosphorous matches, certain firecrackers, kerosene stoves, water scooters, ivory and tortoise shell, underwater fishing guns, candy in the form of cigarettes, toy crash helmets, cigarette papers, used motor vehicle spare parts, electric water heaters with bare elements, portable electric lamps, teething rings, rolling machines (other than industrial-type rolling machines) for cigarette manufacturing, blue asbestos and its products, and items containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFC). A detailed list is available from the Embassy. (references)
Lexicography	Devil's Dictionary	PERSEVERANCE, n. A lowly virtue whereby mediocrity achieves an inglorious success. "Persevere, persevere!" cry the homilists all, Themselves, day and night, persevering to bawl. "Remember the fable of tortoise and hare -- The one at the goal while the other is -- where?" Why, back there in Dreamland, renewing his lease Of life, all his muscles preserving the peace, The goal and the rival forgotten alike, And the long fatigue of the needless hike. His spirit a-squat in the grass and the dew Of the dogless Land beyond the Stew, He sleeps, like a saint in a holy place, A winner of all that is good in a race. Sukker Uffro
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (singular)	93.57%	131	27,855
Noun (proper)	4.29%	6	143,867
Lexical Verb (base form)	2.14%	3	202,518
Total	100.00%	140	N/A

Expressions using "tortoise": Alligator tortoise ♦ Bearded tortoise ♦ Box tortoise ♦ desert tortoise ♦ Elephantine tortoise ♦ european tortoise ♦ giant tortoise ♦ gopher tortoise ♦ Land tortoise ♦ male tortoise ♦ mud tortoise ♦ musk tortoise ♦ painted tortoise ♦ pond tortoise ♦ river tortoise ♦ sculptured tortoise ♦ soft tortoise ♦ spotted tortoise ♦ Texas tortoise ♦ Tortoise beetle ♦ tortoise plant ♦ Tortoise shell ♦ wood tortoise. Additional references.
Hyphenated Usage
	Beginning with "tortoise": tortoise-belly, tortoise-fancier, tortoise-like, tortoise-necked, tortoise-shell, Tortoise-shell butterfly, tortoise-shell tiger, Tortoise-shell turtle, tortoise-shell-like.
	Ending with "tortoise": turbo-tortoise.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Expression	Frequency per Day	Expression	Frequency per Day
tortoise	601	red footed tortoise	18
tortoise and the hare	207	texas tortoise	18
russian tortoise	175	cvs tortoise	17
desert tortoise	136	aldabra tortoise	17
leopard tortoise	94	redfoot tortoise	15
sulcata tortoise	69	headed tortoise two	14
green tortoise	64	cat tortoise	14
turtle and tortoise	62	tortoise breeders	14
tortoise for sale	61	star tortoise	14
tortoise picture	53	red foot tortoise	13
gopher tortoise	48	california desert tortoise	13
galapagos tortoise	48	russian tortoise care	13
tortoise shell cat	39	information tortoise	13
greek tortoise	36	tortoise food	12
pet tortoise	31	egyptian tortoise	11
tortoise shell	27	radiated tortoise	11
african spurred tortoise	24	indian star tortoise	11
tortoise care	23	spur thigh tortoise	11
giant tortoise	21	desert tortoise picture	11
african tortoise	19	leopard sale tortoise	11
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Language		Translations for "tortoise"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Afrikaans		skilpad. (various references)

Albanian		breshkë (turtle). (various references)

Arabic		‏سلحفاة (insect, turtle), ‏شخص بطىء جدا. (various references)

Basque		dortoka. (various references)

Bulgarian		черупка на костенурка (tortoise shell, turtle-shell), копривна пеперуда (tortoise shell). (various references)

Chinese		龜 (turtle), 草龟. (various references)

Czech		želva (turtle). (various references)

Danish		Landskildpadde (Land turtle). (various references)

Dutch		schildpad (cheek block, clamp, tortoise-shell). (various references)

Esperanto		testudo. (various references)

Faeroese		skjaldbøka. (various references)

Farsi		لاک پشت (Turtle), سنگ پشت , ادم کندرو. (various references)

Finnish		kilpikonna (turtle). (various references)

French		tortue. (various references)

Frisian		skyldpod. (various references)

German		Schildkröte (testudo, turtle). (various references)

Greek		χελώνα (turtle), χελώνα ξηράς (Land turtle). (various references)

Hebrew		צב (turtle). (various references)

Hungarian		teknõsbéka (turtle). (various references)

Indonesian		kura-kura (turtle). (various references)

Italian		tartaruga (tortoiseshell, turtle). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		亀 (turtle). (various references)

Japanese Katakana		かめ (earthenware pot, jar, jug, turtle, urn, vase, vat). (various references)

Korean		거북 (turtle). (various references)

Manx		shligganagh (testaceous). (various references)

Occitan		tortuga. (various references)

Pig Latin		ortoisetay

Portuguese		tartaruga (paddle, turtle). (various references)

Romanian		broascã-ţestoasã. (various references)

Russian		черепаха (terrapin, tortoise shell, turtle). (various references)

Sepedi		khudu. (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		kornjača (turtle). (various references)

Shona		hamba. (various references)

Spanish		tortuga (turtle). (various references)

Sranan		sekrepatu. (various references)

Swahili		kobe. (various references)

Swazi		lú-fudvú. (various references)

Swedish		sköldpadda (turtle). (various references)

Turkish		tosbağa, kara kaplumbağası (land tortoise), kaplumbağa (chelonian, turtle). (various references)

Ukrainian		черепаха (tortoiseshell, turtle), забарна людина. (various references)

Vietnamese		l� m bằng đ�"i m�"i; như đ�"i m�"i (tortoise-shell, turtle-shell). (various references)

Welsh		crwban (turtle). (various references)

Yucatec		aak. (various references)

Zulu		ulufudu, ufudu. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Language	Date	Source	Leviticus Chapter 11, Verse 29
Greek (transliterated)	250 BC	Septuagint	Kai tauta umin akaqarta apo twn erpetwn twn erpontwn epi thV ghV h galh kai o muV kai o krokodeiloV o cersaioV
Latin	405	Vulgate	Hoc quoque inter polluta reputabitur de his quae moventur in terra mustela et mus et corcodillus singula iuxta genus suum
Middle English	1395	Wyclif	Thes forsothe among polutid thinges shulen be holde, of hem that ben meued in erthe; a wesil, and a mouse, and a cokedril, eche after his kynde; `that is a beest of foure feete, hauynge the nether cheke lap vnmeuable, and meuynge the ouere;
Renaissance English	1526	Tyndale	And these are also unclene to you amonge the thinges that crepe apon the erth: the wesell the mouse, the tode and all his kynde,
Jacobean English	1611	King James	These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,
Victorian English	1833	Webster	These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping animals that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise, after its kind,
Basic English	1964	Ogden	And these are unclean to you among things which go low down on the earth; the weasel and the mouse and the great lizard, and animals of that sort;
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Language	Leviticus Chapter 11, Verse 29
Cebuano	Ug kini sila mao ang mga mahugaw alang kaninyo sa taliwala sa mga mananap nga nagakamang sa yuta nga mokamang sa ibabaw sa yuta: ang milo, ug ang ilaga ug ang halo ingon sa ilang matang,
Croatian	"Od životinja što po zemlji gmižu neka su za vas ove neèiste: krtica, miš i svaka vrsta guštera;
Danish	Af Krybet, der kryber på Jorden, skal følgende være eder urene: Væselen, Musen, de forskellige Arter af Firben,
Dutch	Verder zal u dit onder het kruipend gedierte, dat op de aarde kruipt, onrein zijn: het wezeltje, en de muis, en de schildpad, naar haar aard;
Finnish	Ja nämä olkoot teille saastaiset niistä pikkueläimistä, jotka liikkuvat maassa: myyrä, hiiri ja sisiliskolajit,
French	Voici, parmi les animaux qui rampent sur la terre, ceux que vous regarderez comme impurs: la taupe, la souris et le lézard, selon leurs espèces;
German	Diese sollen euch auch unrein sein unter den Tieren, die auf Erden kriechen: das Wiesel, die Maus, die Kröte, ein jegliches mit seiner Art,
Haitian Creole	Pami tout bèt toupatou sou latè ki mache sou vant, men sa ki pa bon pou nou manje: tout kalite zagoudi, sourit ak leza,
Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari	Tikus tanah, tikus besar, tikus kecil, kadal, segala jenis katak, landak, biawak, bengkarung, siput dan bunglon adalah haram.
Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama	Dan lagi di antara segala binatang kecil yang melata di atas bumi itu, haram kepadamu inilah: binturung dan tikus dan cecak sejenis-jenisnya;
Italian	Fra gli animali che strisciano per terra riterrete immondi: la talpa, il topo e ogni specie di sauri,
Maori	Ka poke ano hoki enei ki a koutou o nga mea ngokingoki katoa e ngokingoki ana i runga i te whenua; ko te wihara, ko te kiore, me te tuatara, me nga mea e rite ana ki a ia,
Norwegian	Og blandt de smådyr som kryper på jorden, skal disse være de ureneste for eder: muldvarpen og musen og alle slags firben,
Portuguese	Estes também vos serão por imundos entre os animais que se arrastam sobre a terra: a doninha, o rato, o crocodilo da terra segundo a sua espécie,
Rumanian	Iatq, din vietqyile cari se tkrqsc pe pqmknt, cele pe cari le veyi privi ca necurate: ckrtiya, woarecele wi wopkrla, dupq soiurile lor;
Russian	чПФ ЮФП ОЕЮЙУФП �"МС ЧБУ ЙЪ ЦЙЧПФОЩИ, � ТЕУНЩЛБАЭЙИУС � П ЪЕНМЕ: ЛТПФ, НЩЫШ, СЭЕТЙ�"Б У ЕЕ � ПТП�"ПА,
Swedish	Och bland de smådjur som röra sig på jorden skola dessa gälla för eder såsom orena: vesslan, jordråttan, ödlan med dess arter,
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations
	Words beginning with "tortoise": tortoises, tortoiseshell, tortoiseshells. (additional references)
Misspellings
	"Tortoise" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Torhouse, Torloisk, tortie, tortise, tortoised, Tortoishell, tortoising, Tortoni, Tortosa, Tortossa, tortous, Tortuosa, totorise, turtoise. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "tortoise" (pronounced tô"rtus)
3	-t u s	apparatus, apprentice, armistice, arthritis, asbestos, berettas, bronchitis, cactus, calamitous, circuitous, countess, detritus, duplicitous, emeritus, encephalitis, eucalyptus, felicitous, fetus, fortuitous, gastritis, glottis, gratis, gratuitous, gravitas, hepatitis, hiatus, hostess, impetus, injustice, justice, laryngitis, lattice, lettuce, Lotus, malpractice, margaritas, mastoiditis, meningitis, momentous, notice, osteoarthritis, portentous, poultice, precipitous, priestess, prophetess, prospectus, riotous, robustas, serendipitous, situs, solicitous, status, Stratus, treatise, ubiquitous.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Language	Period	Translations
Late Latin	300-700	tartaruchus. (various references)
French	1500-Modern	tortue. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Direct Anagrams: rootiest.
	Words within the letters "e-i-o-o-r-s-t-t"
	-1 letter: risotto, sootier, tooters, tootsie.
	-2 letters: otiose, otters, rottes, sitter, sortie, titers, titres, tooter, tories, torose, tortes, toters, triose, triste.
	-3 letters: oorie, osier, otter, ottos, riots, rites, roose, roost, roots, roset, rotes, rotis, rotos, rotte, store, tiers, tires, tiros, titer, titre, toits, toots, tores, toros, torot, torse, torsi, torso, torte, torts, toter, totes, trets.
	Words containing the letters "e-i-o-o-r-s-t-t"
	+1 letter: tortoises.
	+2 letters: bottomries, ecotourist, extortions, orthoepist, sitosterol, torosities.
	+3 letters: anorthosite, autoerotism, bitterroots, competitors, ecotourists, forestation, ketosteroid, metrologist, negotiators, notorieties, optometries, optometrist, orthoepists, orthopedist, petrologist, photoresist, protections, protostelic, restoration, rototillers, sitosterols, tolerations, tonometries.
	+4 letters: anorthosites, autoerotisms, autotrophies, botherations, coleopterist, deportations, econometrist, ecoterrorist, enterotoxins, erotizations, ethnohistory, exhortations, exportations, extortioners, extortionist, fetoproteins, forestations, hyperostotic, keratotomies, ketosteroids, luteotropins, metrologists, obliterators, operationist, optometrists, orientations, ornithopters, orotundities, orthopedists, orthopterist, osteoporotic, overoptimist, periodontist, petrologists, photometries, photoresists, posteriority, potentiators, proglottides, protectories, protestation, restorations, retroactions, stereopticon, streptococci, stromatolite, teratologies, teratologist, thixotropies, tortuosities, trichotomies, trimetrogons, trophozoites.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

Tortoise

Definition: Tortoise

Tortoise

Noun

Specialty Definition: Tortoise

Specialty Definition: Tortoise (band)

Synonyms within Context: Tortoise

Slowness

Crosswords: Tortoise

Modern Usage: Tortoise

Movie/TV Titles

Commercial Usage: Tortoise

Books

Periodicals

Theater & Movies

Music

Consumer Goods

Image Slideshow: Tortoise

Photos:Tortoise

Illustrations:Tortoise

Computer Images:Tortoise

Photo Album: Tortoise

Familiar Quotations: Tortoise

Bhagavad Gita

Use in Literature: Tortoise

Grapes of Wrath

Steinbeck, John

Non-Fiction Usage: Tortoise

Lexicography

Devil's Dictionary

Usage Frequency: Tortoise

Expression: Tortoise

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Tortoise

Modern Translation: Tortoise

Afrikaans

Albanian

Arabic

Basque

Bulgarian

Chinese

Czech

Danish

Dutch

Esperanto

Faeroese

Farsi

Finnish

French

Frisian

German

Greek

Hebrew

Hungarian

Indonesian

Italian

Japanese Kanji

Japanese Katakana

Korean

Manx

Occitan

Pig Latin

Portuguese

Romanian

Russian

Sepedi

Serbo-Croatian

Shona

Spanish

Sranan

Swahili

Swazi

Swedish

Turkish

Ukrainian

Vietnamese

Welsh

Yucatec

Zulu

Ancestral Language Translations: Tortoise

Bible Trace: Tortoise

Photos:
Tortoise

Illustrations:
Tortoise

Computer Images:
Tortoise