[tur.tle] n [ME, fr. OE turtla, fr. L turtur] (bef. 12c) archaic: turtledove
[2]turtle n, pl turtles also turtle often attrib [modif. of F tortue, fr. LL tartarucha, fem. of tartaruchus of Tartarus, fr. Gk tartarouchos, fr. Tartaros Tartarus] (1657): any of an order (Testudines) of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine reptiles that have a toothless horny beak and a shell of bony dermal plates usu. covered with horny shields enclosing the trunk and into which the head, limbs, and tail usu. may be withdrawn [3]turtle n (1952): turtleneck