tortoiseshell
/ˈtɔː(ɹ)təˌʃɛl/
Etymology
From tortoise + shell.
tortoiseshell means made of the covering of carapace of hawksbill turtle. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 83 out of 100.
adj
- Made of the covering of carapace of hawksbill turtle.
- 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.”
noun
- The horny, translucent, mottled covering of the carapace of the hawksbill turtle, used as a veneer etc.
- The hawksbill turtle.
- A domestic cat (or a rabbit, guinea-pig, etc.) whose fur has black, brown and yellow markings.
- 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%).”