Definition of TURTLE

turtle

Plural: turtles

Noun

  • a sweater or jersey with a high close-fitting collar
  • any of various aquatic and land reptiles having a bony shell and flipper-like limbs for swimming
  • Any land or marine reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body. See also tortoise.
  • A marine reptile of that order.
  • An Ancient Roman attack method, where the shields held by the soldiers hide them, not only left, right, front and back, but also from above.
  • 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.
  • An on-screen cursor that serves the same function as a turtle for drawing.
  • The curved plate in which the form is held in a type-revolving cylinder press.
  • A small element towards the end of a list of items to be bubble sorted, and thus tending to take a long time to be swapped into its correct position. Compare rabbit.
  • A breakdancing move consisting of a float during which the dancer's weight shifts from one hand to the other, producing rotation or a circular "walk".
  • A low stand for a lamp etc.
  • A turtle dove.

Verb

Verb Forms: turtled, turtling, turtles

  • To catch turtles; to overturn like a turtle on its back.
  • overturn accidentally
  • hunt for turtles, especially as an occupation
  • To flip over onto the back or top; to turn upside down.
  • To move along slowly.
  • To turn and swim upside down.
  • To hunt turtles, especially in the water.
  • To build up a large defense force and strike only occasionally, rather than going for an offensive strategy.

Examples

  • My opponent tried to TURTLE my scoring opportunities by blocking every open square.

Origin / 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 Medieval Latin tortuca (compare Spanish tortuga), the same source of tortoise (see there for more). Displaced native Old English byrdling.

Synonyms

capsize, polo-neck, turn turtle, turtleneck, sea turtle, shellpad, shield-toad, testudo

Scrabble Score: 6

turtle: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
turtle: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
turtle: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

turtle: valid Words With Friends Word