tortue

Inherited from Middle French tortue, borrowed from Old Occitan tortuga, tartuga, from Late Latin tartarūcha, feminine form of tartarūchus, a mythological spirit of Greek origin, from Ancient Greek ταρταροῦχος (tartaroûkhos, “resident or native of Tartarus”), from Τάρταρος (Tártaros). Cf. also Medieval Latin tortuca. Compare Spanish tortuga, Italian tartaruga.

• IPA^(key): /tɔʁ.ty/

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tortue f (plural tortues)

1. turtle or tortoise

The bracket term tortue also includes both turtles and tortoises.

• à pas de tortue
• écaille de tortue

• “tortue”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• tourte

Borrowed from Old Occitan tortuga, tartuga.

tortue f (plural tortues)

1. turtle

• French: tortue
• Norman: tortue
• → Middle English: tortou, tortu
  • English: turtle
  • → Irish: turtar

Cf. French tortue. Probably from Old Occitan tortuga, tartuga, from Late Latin tartarucha, feminine form of tartaruchus, a mythological spirit of Greek origin, from Ancient Greek ταρταροῦχος (tartaroûkhos, “inhabitant of Tartarus”), from Τάρταρος (Tártaros). Cf. also Medieval Latin tortuca.

tortue f (plural tortues)

1. (Jersey) tortoise