tortoiseshell

Plural: tortoiseshells

Noun

• the mottled horny substance of the shell of some turtles
• brilliantly colored; larvae feed on nettles
• a cat having black and cream-colored and yellowish markings
• The horny, translucent, mottled covering of the carapace of the hawksbill turtle, used as a veneer etc.
• The hawksbill turtle.
• A domestic cat (or a rabbit, guinea-pig, etc.) whose fur has black, brown and yellow markings.
• Any of several butterflies, mostly of the genera Nymphalis and Aglais that have similar markings.

Adj

• Made of the covering of carapace of hawksbill turtle.
• Having markings resembling covering of carapace of hawksbill turtle.

Synonyms

calico cat, tortoiseshell butterfly, tortoiseshell-cat, tort, tortie