tortoises

Noun

tortoise (plural tortoises)

1. Any of various land-dwelling reptiles, of the family Testudinidae (chiefly Canada, US) or the order Testudines (chiefly UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, India), whose body is enclosed in a shell (carapace plus plastron). The animal can withdraw its head and four legs partially into the shell, providing some protection from predators.
   • The tortoise, with its characteristic protrusion of the head and neck, was a symbol sacred to Venus. It represented the procreative principle.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 235

   Synonyms:

   shellpad

2. Synonym of cat (sense 11, a wheeled shelter)

   Synonyms:

   cat