tortoiseshell
/ˈtɔː(ɹ)təˌʃɛl/ noun, adjective
Forms tortoiseshells
- noun The horny, translucent, mottled covering of the carapace of the hawksbill turtle, used as a veneer etc.
- noun The hawksbill turtle.
- noun A domestic cat (or a rabbit, guinea-pig, etc.) whose fur has black, brown and yellow markings.
- noun Any of several butterflies, mostly of the genera Nymphalis and Aglais that have similar markings.
- adjective Made of the covering of carapace of hawksbill turtle.
- adjective Having markings resembling covering of carapace of hawksbill turtle.
Synonyms
tort tortie tortoiseshell butterfly tortoiseshell-cat calico cat
Etymology
From tortoise + shell.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “tortoiseshell”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details