adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The horny, translucent, mottled covering of the carapace of the hawksbill turtle, used as a veneer etc. uncountable, usually
2. 2
   a cat having black and cream-colored and yellowish markings wordnet
3. 3
   The hawksbill turtle. uncountable, usually
4. 4
   brilliantly colored; larvae feed on nettles wordnet
5. 5
   A domestic cat (or a rabbit, guinea-pig, etc.) whose fur has black, brown and yellow markings. uncountable, usually

Show 2 more definitions

6. 6
   the mottled horny substance of the shell of some turtles wordnet
7. 7
   Any of several butterflies, mostly of the genera Nymphalis and Aglais that have similar markings. uncountable, usually

Adjective

1. 1
   Made of the covering of carapace of hawksbill turtle. not-comparable
2. 2
   Having markings resembling covering of carapace of hawksbill turtle. not-comparable

   "Speaking of round sunglasses, these lightweight polarized ones and come in two shades of tortoiseshell as well as black and bronze."

Synonyms

All synonyms

calicocalico cattorttorttortietortoiseshell butterfly

Example

More examples

"I have a tortoiseshell cat. She is so affectionate!"

Etymology

From tortoise + shell.

Related phrases

large tortoiseshellsmall tortoiseshelltortoiseshell brackettortoiseshell catdomestic cathawksbill turtle

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.