tortoiseshell

noun, adj — 6 senses

tortoiseshell

noun

/ˈtɔː(ɹ)təˌʃɛl/ · /ˈtɔː(ɹ)təsˌʃɛl/

Etymology From tortoise + shell.

1

Usually The horny, translucent, mottled covering of the carapace of the hawksbill turtle, used as a veneer etc.

2

Usually The hawksbill turtle.

3

Usually A domestic cat (or a rabbit, guinea-pig, etc.) whose fur has black, brown and yellow markings.

4

Usually Any of several butterflies, mostly of the genera Nymphalis and Aglais that have similar markings.

  • Other common farmland butterflies to have suffered steep declines include the small tortoiseshell (64%), the wall brown (37%) and the large skipper (35%).2015 November 24, Patrick Barkham, “Pesticide may be reason butterfly numbers are falling in UK, says study”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 05 Mar 2016:
Synonyms
tort, tortie
Derived terms
large tortoiseshell, small tortoiseshell, torbie, tortoise-shell bamboo, tortoiseshell bracket

tortoiseshell

adj

Etymology From tortoise + shell.

1

Made of the covering of carapace of hawksbill turtle.

2

Having markings resembling covering of carapace of hawksbill turtle.

  • Speaking of round sunglasses, these lightweight polarized ones and come in two shades of tortoiseshell as well as black and bronze.2023 June 26, Lauren Caruso and Jillian Tracy, “The 22 best sunglasses for summer, according to style experts”, in CNN, archived from the original on 14 Apr 2025:
Derived terms
tortoiseshell cat

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.