Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
TURTLE
turtle
(noun) any of various aquatic and land reptiles having a bony shell and flipper-like limbs for swimming
turtleneck, turtle, polo-neck
(noun) a sweater or jersey with a high close-fitting collar
turtle
(verb) hunt for turtles, especially as an occupation
capsize, turtle, turn turtle
(verb) overturn accidentally; “Don’t rock the boat or it will capsize!”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Noun
turtle (plural turtles)
(zoology, US, Canada) Any land or marine reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body. See also tortoise.
Synonyms: shellpad, shield-toad (archaic)
(zoology, Australia, British, specifically) A marine reptile of that order.
Synonym: sea turtle
(military, historical) 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.
Synonym: testudo
(computing) 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.
(computing) An on-screen cursor that serves the same function as a turtle for drawing.
(printing, historical) The curved plate in which the form is held in a type-revolving cylinder press.
(comptheory) 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.
(dance) 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".
(television) A low stand for a lamp etc.
• Alan Bermingham, Location Lighting for Television
Verb
turtle (third-person singular simple present turtles, present participle turtling, simple past and past participle turtled)
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.
(video games, board games) To build up a large defense force and strike only punctually, rather than going for an offensive strategy.
Etymology 2
Noun
turtle (plural turtles)
(now rare, archaic) A turtle dove.
Anagrams
• Lutter, ruttle, turlet
Proper noun
Turtle
A river in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Noun
Turtle (plural Turtles)
A member of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles, a drinking club.
Anagrams
• Lutter, ruttle, turlet
Source: Wiktionary
Tur"tle, n. Etym: [AS. turtle, L. turtur; probably of imitative origin. Cf. Turtle the sea tortoise.] (Zoöl.)
Definition: The turtledove.
Tur"tle, n. Etym: [Probably the same word as the word preceding, and substituted (probably by sailors) for the Spanish or Portuguese name; cf. Sp. tortuga tortoise, turtle, Pg. tartaruga, also F. tortue, and E. tortoise.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Definition: Any one of the numerous species of Testudinata, especially a sea turtle, or chelonian.
Note: In the United States the land and fresh-water tortoises are also called turtles.
2. (Printing)
Definition: The curved plate in which the form is held in a type-revolving cylinder press. Alligator turtle, Box turtle, etc. See under Alligator, Box, etc.
– green turtle (Zoöl.), a marine turtle of the genus Chelonia, having usually a smooth greenish or olive-colored shell. It is highly valued for the delicacy of its flesh, which is used especially for turtle soup. Two distinct species or varieties are known; one of which (Chelonia Midas) inhabits the warm part of the Atlantic Ocean, and sometimes weighs eight hundred pounds or more; the other (C. virgata) inhabits the Pacific Ocean. Both species are similar in habits and feed principally on seaweed and other marine plants, especially the turtle grass.
– Turtle cowrie (Zoöl.), a large, handsome cowrie (Cypræa testudinaria); the turtle-shell; so called because of its fancied resemblance to a tortoise in color and form.
– Turtle grass (Bot.), a marine plant (Thalassia testudinum) with grasslike leaves, common about the West Indies.
– Turtle shell, tortoise shell. See under Tortoise.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Word of the Day
20 January 2025
CHELICERA
(noun) either of the first pair of fang-like appendages near the mouth of an arachnid; often modified for grasping and piercing
Coffee Trivia
