Where does “turtle” come from?
Turtle comes from Middle English tortou, from Old French tortüe, from Latin turtur, a type of dove.
turtle (English): Any land or marine reptile of the order...
Definitions
- Any land or marine reptile of the order...
Ancestry of “turtle”, step by step
turtle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English tortou
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | tortou | — |
| 2 | Old French | tortüe | — |
| 3 | Old Occitan | tortuga | — |
| 4 | Late Latin | tartarucha | — |
| 5 | Latin | tartarūchus | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ταρταροῦχος | holder of Tartaros, Tartarus, the land of the... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ἔχω | I have, possess, contain, own; I hold; I have... |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | hékʰō | to have |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | seǵʰ- | to hold; to overpower |
via Middle English tortu
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | tortu | — |