alligator turtle

2 definitions found

alligator turtle - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Turtle \Tur"tle\, n. [Probably the same word as the word
     preceding, and substituted (probably by sailors) for the
     Spanish or Portuguese name; cf. Sp. tortuga tortoise, turtle,
     Pg. tartaruga, also F. tortue, and E. tortoise.]
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     1. (Zool.) Any one of the numerous species of Testudinata,
        especially a sea turtle, or chelonian.
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     Note: In the United States the land and fresh-water tortoises
           are also called turtles.
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     2. (Printing) The curved plate in which the form is held in a
        type-revolving cylinder press.
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     Alligator turtle, Box turtle, etc. See under Alligator,
        Box, etc.
  
     green turtle (Zool.), a marine turtle of the genus
        Chelonia, having usually a smooth greenish or
        olive-colored shell. It is highly valued for the delicacy
        of its flesh, which is used especially for turtle soup.
        Two distinct species or varieties are known; one of which
        (Chelonia Midas) inhabits the warm part of the Atlantic
        Ocean, and sometimes weighs eight hundred pounds or more;
        the other (Chelonia virgata) inhabits the Pacific Ocean.
        Both species are similar in habits and feed principally on
        seaweed and other marine plants, especially the turtle
        grass.
  
     Turtle cowrie (Zool.), a large, handsome cowrie (Cypraea  testudinaria
        ); the turtle-shell; so called because of its
        fancied resemblance to a tortoise in color and form.
  
     Turtle grass (Bot.), a marine plant (Thalassia  testudinum
        ) with grasslike leaves, common about the West
        Indies.
  
     Turtle shell, tortoise shell. See under Tortoise.
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  Alligator \Al"li*ga`tor\, n. [Sp. el lagarto the lizard (el
     lagarto de Indias, the cayman or American crocodile), fr. L.
     lacertus, lacerta, lizard. See Lizard.]
     1. (Zool.) A large carnivorous reptile of the Crocodile
        family, peculiar to America. It has a shorter and broader
        snout than the crocodile, and the large teeth of the lower
        jaw shut into pits in the upper jaw, which has no marginal
        notches. Besides the common species of the southern United
        States, there are allied species in South America.
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     2. (Mech.) Any machine with strong jaws, one of which opens
        like the movable jaw of an alligator; as,
        (a) (Metal Working) a form of squeezer for the puddle
            ball.;
        (b) (Mining) a rock breaker;
        (c) (Printing) a kind of job press, called also alligator  press
            .
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     Alligator apple (Bot.), the fruit of the Anona palustris,
        a West Indian tree. It is said to be narcotic in its
        properties. --Loudon.
  
     Alligator fish (Zool.), a marine fish of northwestern
        America (Podothecus acipenserinus).
  
     Alligator gar (Zool.), one of the gar pikes (Lepidosteus  spatula
        ) found in the southern rivers of the United
        States. The name is also applied to other species of gar
        pikes.
  
     Alligator pear (Bot.), a corruption of Avocado pear. See
        Avocado.
  
     Alligator snapper, Alligator tortoise, Alligator turtle
        (Zool.), a very large and voracious turtle (Macrochelys  lacertina
        ) inhabiting the rivers of the southern United
        States. It sometimes reaches the weight of two hundred
        pounds. Unlike the common snapping turtle, to which the
        name is sometimes erroneously applied, it has a scaly head
        and many small scales beneath the tail. This name is
        sometimes given to other turtles, as to species of
        Trionyx.
  
     Alligator wood, the timber of a tree of the West Indies
        (Guarea Swartzii).
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