quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- turtle



[turtle 词源字典] - turtle: Turtle the dove [OE] and turtle the marine reptile [17] are different words. The former was borrowed from Latin turtur, which no doubt originated in imitation of the bird’s cooing. It is now encountered only in the compound turtledove, first recorded in the 13th century. Turtle the reptile is more of a mystery. It is generally assumed to be an alteration of French tortue ‘tortoise’ (source of English tortoise [15]), but since it is not known where that came from, it does not get us much further.
The expression turn turtle (which dates from the 19th century) alludes to the practice of sailors turning turtles over on to their backs, like beetles, so that they were helpless and could be easily captured.
=> tortoise[turtle etymology, turtle origin, 英语词源] - cowabunga (interj.)




- 1954, American English, from exclamation of surprise and anger by "Chief Thunderthud" in "The Howdy Doody Show," 1950s children's TV show; used by surfers 1960s as a shout of triumph, and spread worldwide 1990 by use in the TV cartoon "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
- Mackinaw




- type of boat used on the Great Lakes, 1812, from Mackinac, name of a port and island in Michigan, from Ojibway (Algonquian) mitchimakinak "many turtles," from mishiin- "be many" + mikinaak "snapping turtle." As a type of heavy blanket given to the Indians by the U.S. government, it is attested from 1822.
- anapsid




- "A reptile of a group characterized by a lack of temporal openings in the skull, including the turtles and their relatives and many early fossil forms", 1930s: from modern Latin Anapsida, from Greek an- 'without' + apsis, apsid- 'arch'.
- Testudines




- "An order of reptiles which comprises the turtles, terrapins, and tortoises. They are distinguished by having a shell of bony plates covered with horny scales, and many kinds are aquatic", Modern Latin (plural), based on Latin testa 'shell'.