n. [ Perhaps fr. OF. porteis portative, portable. ] (Naut.) The gunwale of a ship. [ 1913 Webster ]
To lower the yards a-portoise,
To ride a portoise,
n. [ OE. tortuce, fr. OF. tortis crooked, fr. L. tortus twisted, crooked, contorted, p. p. of torquere, tortum, to wind; cf. F. tortue tortoise, LL. tortuca, tartuca, Pr. tortesa crookedness, tortis crooked. so called in allusion to its crooked feet. See Torture. ]
☞ The term is applied especially to the land and fresh-water species, while the marine species are generally called turtles, but the terms tortoise and turtle are used synonymously by many writers. See Testudinata, Terrapin, and Turtle. [ 1913 Webster ]
Box tortoise,
Land tortoise, etc.
Painted tortoise. (Zool.)
Soft-shell tortoise. (Zool.)
Spotted tortoise. (Zool.)
Tortoise beetle (Zool.),
Tortoise plant. (Bot.)
Tortoise shell,
Tortoise-shell butterfly (Zool.),
Tortoise-shell turtle (Zool.),
adj. Having a color like that of a tortoise's shell, black with white and orange spots; -- used mostly to describe cats of that color.
n. [ OE. tortuce, fr. OF. tortis crooked, fr. L. tortus twisted, crooked, contorted, p. p. of torquere, tortum, to wind; cf. F. tortue tortoise, LL. tortuca, tartuca, Pr. tortesa crookedness, tortis crooked. so called in allusion to its crooked feet. See Torture. ]
☞ The term is applied especially to the land and fresh-water species, while the marine species are generally called turtles, but the terms tortoise and turtle are used synonymously by many writers. See Testudinata, Terrapin, and Turtle. [ 1913 Webster ]
Box tortoise,
Land tortoise, etc.
Painted tortoise. (Zool.)
Soft-shell tortoise. (Zool.)
Spotted tortoise. (Zool.)
Tortoise beetle (Zool.),
Tortoise plant. (Bot.)
Tortoise shell,
Tortoise-shell butterfly (Zool.),
Tortoise-shell turtle (Zool.),
adj. Having a color like that of a tortoise's shell, black with white and orange spots; -- used mostly to describe cats of that color.