tortoise

tortoise

1. any herbivorous terrestrial chelonian reptile of the family Testudinidae, of most warm regions, having a heavy dome-shaped shell and clawed limbs

2. water tortoise another name for terrapin

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

tortoise

[′tȯrd·əs]

(vertebrate zoology)

Any of various large terrestrial reptiles in the order Chelonia, especially the family Testudinidae.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

tortoise

symbol of sexual purity. [Animal Symbolism: Mercatante, 21]

See: Chastity

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tortoise

slow and steady, it wins the race against the hare. [Animal Symbolism: Mercatante, 22; Gk. Lit.: Aesop, “The Tortoise and the Hare”]

See: Determination

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tortoise

perseverance helps him succeed where those inclined to dawdle fail. [Folklore: Jobes, 1590]

See: Perseverance

Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.