turtle

Meanings

Noun

• 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

• To flip over onto the back or top; to turn upside down.
• To turn and swim upside down.
• To hunt turtles, especially in the water.
• To build up a large defense force and strike only punctually, rather than going for an offensive strategy.

Origin

• Modification of Middle English tortou, tortu, from Old French tortüe (under the influence of Middle English turtel, turtur, 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.
• From Middle English turtle, tortle, turtel, turtul, from Old English turtle, turtla, ultimately from Latin turtur ("turtledove"), of imitative origin.