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

/ kɪˈləʊnɪən /

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

adjective

1. of, relating to, belonging to, or characteristic of the Chelonia

chelonian

/ kĭ-lō′nē-ən /

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of chelonian¹

First recorded in 1820–30; from New Latin Chelōni(a) (from Greek chelṓn(ē) “turtle” + Latin -ia, neuter plural noun suffix) + -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of chelonian¹

C19: from New Latin Chelōnia, from Greek khelōnē tortoise

Example Sentences

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

From New York Times

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

From Scientific American

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

From Forbes

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

From Economist

Related Words

• tortoise