(ˌ) ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˈäd.ə, -ˈād.ə noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Testudin-, Testudo + -ata
: an order or other division of Reptilia comprising the turtles and tortoises and being distinguished by a trunk more or less enclosed in a shell of bony dermal plates that is usually covered externally with horny shields and in nearly all cases firmly united with some of the vertebrae, ribs, and sternum, and by jaws that are toothless and sheathed