51Թ

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chelonian

[ ki-loh-nee-uhn ]

adjective

  1. belonging or pertaining to the reptilian order Testudines (formerly Chelonia), comprising turtles, tortoises, and terrapins.


noun

  1. a turtle, tortoise, or terrapin.

chelonian

/ ɪˈəʊɪə /

noun

  1. any reptile of the order Chelonia, including the tortoises and turtles, in which most of the body is enclosed in a protective bony capsule
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. of, relating to, belonging to, or characteristic of the Chelonia
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

chelonian

/ ĭ-ōŧ-ə /

  1. Any of various reptiles of the order Chelonia (or Testudines), which includes the turtles and tortoises. Chelonians lack teeth and usually have a hard shell that protects the body and consists of bony plates fused to the vertebrae and ribs. Unlike all other living reptiles, the skulls of chelonians lack temporal openings, which is characteristic of the earliest known reptiles (called anapsids). Chelonians evolved during the late Permian or Triassic Period and have changed little since.
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of chelonian1

First recorded in 1820–30; from New Latin ōԾ() (from Greek ṓn(ŧ) “turtle” + Latin -ia, neuter plural noun suffix) + -an
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of chelonian1

C19: from New Latin ōԾ, from Greek ōŧ tortoise
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Bonded by their love of chelonians — turtles, terrapins and tortoises — the two men began traveling the world together to research the reptiles.

From

Turtles — formally known as chelonians — evolved around 230 million years ago.

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Looking back, Peritresius was an early glimmer of the chelonian grace of today's hawksbills and loggerheads.

From

Turtles, tortoises, and terrapins, also known as chelonians, have an extensive fossil record extending into the modern day.

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He remains the only chelonian to have been given an obituary in this newspaper.

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