The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Turtle \Tur"tle\, n. [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.]
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1. (Zool.) Any one of the numerous species of Testudinata,
especially a sea turtle, or chelonian.
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Note: In the United States the land and fresh-water tortoises
are also called turtles.
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2. (Printing) The curved plate in which the form is held in a
type-revolving cylinder press.
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Alligator turtle, Box turtle, etc. See under Alligator,
Box, etc.
green turtle (Zool.), 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 (Chelonia 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 (Zool.), a large, handsome cowrie (Cypraea
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.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Alligator \Al"li*ga`tor\, n. [Sp. el lagarto the lizard (el
lagarto de Indias, the cayman or American crocodile), fr. L.
lacertus, lacerta, lizard. See Lizard.]
1. (Zool.) A large carnivorous reptile of the Crocodile
family, peculiar to America. It has a shorter and broader
snout than the crocodile, and the large teeth of the lower
jaw shut into pits in the upper jaw, which has no marginal
notches. Besides the common species of the southern United
States, there are allied species in South America.
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2. (Mech.) Any machine with strong jaws, one of which opens
like the movable jaw of an alligator; as,
(a) (Metal Working) a form of squeezer for the puddle
ball.;
(b) (Mining) a rock breaker;
(c) (Printing) a kind of job press, called also alligator
press.
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Alligator apple (Bot.), the fruit of the Anona palustris,
a West Indian tree. It is said to be narcotic in its
properties. --Loudon.
Alligator fish (Zool.), a marine fish of northwestern
America (Podothecus acipenserinus).
Alligator gar (Zool.), one of the gar pikes (Lepidosteus
spatula) found in the southern rivers of the United
States. The name is also applied to other species of gar
pikes.
Alligator pear (Bot.), a corruption of Avocado pear. See
Avocado.
Alligator snapper, Alligator tortoise, Alligator turtle
(Zool.), a very large and voracious turtle (Macrochelys
lacertina) inhabiting the rivers of the southern United
States. It sometimes reaches the weight of two hundred
pounds. Unlike the common snapping turtle, to which the
name is sometimes erroneously applied, it has a scaly head
and many small scales beneath the tail. This name is
sometimes given to other turtles, as to species of
Trionyx.
Alligator wood, the timber of a tree of the West Indies
(Guarea Swartzii).
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