Link Centre Dictionary

tortoiseshell

tor·toi·ses·hell

UK/ˈtɔː(ɹ)təˌʃɛl/ US/ˈtɔː(ɹ)təsˌʃɛl/ uncommon

noun

1.

the mottled horny substance of the shell of some turtles

2.

brilliantly colored; larvae feed on nettles

Synonyms
3.

a cat having black and cream and yellowish markings

Synonyms

Origin

From tortoise + shell.

Phrases

  • large tortoiseshell
  • small tortoiseshell
  • tortoise-shell bamboo
  • tortoiseshell bracket
  • tortoiseshell cat

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.