turtle

noun

• 1 (also sea turtle) a large marine reptile with a bony or leathery shell and flippers, coming ashore annually on sandy beaches to lay eggs.

  • Families Cheloniidae (seven species) and Dermochelyidae (the leatherback)
• [mass noun] the flesh of a sea turtle, especially the green turtle, used chiefly for soup.

• 2a freshwater reptile related to the sea turtles and tortoises, typically having a flattened shell. Called terrapin in South Africa and India and tortoise in Australia.

  • Order Chelonia: several families, in particular Emydidae and Kinosternidae
• North American any reptile of the order Chelonia, including the terrapins and tortoises.

• 3a directional cursor in a computer graphics system which can be instructed to move around a screen.