Tortoise

(Heb. tsabh). Ranked among the unclean animals (Lev. 11:29). Land tortoises are common in Syria. The LXX. renders the word by “land crocodile.” The word, however, more probably denotes a lizard, called by the modern Arabs dhabb.

(Heb. tsab). The tsab occurs only in (Leviticus 11:29) as the name of some unclean animal. The Hebrew word may be identified with the kindred Arabic dhab, “a large kind of lizard,” which appears to be the Psommosaurus scincus of Cuvier.

TOR'TOISE. This translation, Lev 11:29, is doubtful. Bochart's view has most adherents - that the creature intended was the dhabb of the Arabs, a slow-moving lizard, sometimes attaining the length of 2 feet, and found in the Syrian and Arabian wilderness. The Septuagint has, in place of "tortoise," "land-crocodile," but this reptile seems to be meant by the "chameleon" of the next verse. A large land-tortoise is found in all these regions, and, like the dhabb is eaten by the natives. There is also in Palestine a water-tortoise.

TOR'TOISE. This translation, Lev 11:29, is doubtful. Bochart's view has most adherents - that the creature intended was the dhabb of the Arabs, a slow-moving lizard, sometimes attaining the length of 2 feet, and found in the Syrian and Arabian wilderness. The Septuagint has, in place of "tortoise," "land-crocodile," but this reptile seems to be meant by the "chameleon" of the next verse. A large land-tortoise is found in all these regions, and, like the dhabb is eaten by the natives. There is also in Palestine a water-tortoise.

Part of speech: noun (n.)

1. Any one of numerous species of reptiles of the order Testudinata.

2. Same as Testudo, 2. Box tortoise, Land tortoise, etc. See under Box, Land, etc. -- Painted tortoise. (Zoöl.) See Painted turtle, under Painted. -- Soft-shell tortoise. (Zoöl.) See Trionyx. -- Spotted tortoise. (Zoöl.) A small American fresh-water tortoise (Chelopus, or Nanemys, quttatus) having a blackish carapace on which are scattered round yellow spots. -- Tortoise beetle (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of small tortoise-shaped beetles. Many of them have a brilliant metallic luster. the larvæ feed upon the leaves of various plants, and protect themselves beneath a mass of dried excrement held over the back by means of the caudal spines. The golden tortoise beetle (Cassida aurichalcea) is found on the morning-glory vine and allied plants. -- Tortoise plant. (Bot.) See Elephant's foot, under Elephant. -- Tortoise shell, the substance of the shell or horny plates of several species of sea turtles, especially of the hawkbill turtle. It is used in inlaying and in the manufacture of various ornamental articles. -- Tortoise-shell butterfly (Zoöl.), any one of several species of handsomely colored butterflies of the genus Aglais, as A. Milberti, and A. urticæ, both of which, in the larva state, feed upon nettles. -- Tortoise-shell turtle (Zoöl.), the hawkbill turtle. See Hawkbill.

3. having a color like that aof a toroise's shell, black with white and orange spots; -- used mostly to describe cats of that color. n.

4. a tortoise-shell cat.