Etymograph

English

turtle

Turtle comes from Middle English tortou, and goes back to Old French tortüe.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400tortüe
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tortou
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1893turtle

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400tortüe
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tortou
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1893turtle

Earliest quotation: 1893, De Forrest Willard, Lateral Curvature: “At home the child can have a simple horizontal…”

The story

Modification of Middle English tortou, tortu, from Old French tortüe (under the influence of Middle English turtel, turtur (‘turtledove’), see Etymology 2 below), from Old Occitan tortuga (compare Spanish tortuga), the same source of tortoise (see there for more).

Every English word from Old French tortüe

Today it means

noun Any land, aquatic, or semi-aquatic reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body. See also tortoise.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Old French tortüe / turtle

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