A turtle is a reptile with a bony or leathery shell that protects its body. Some turtles live mostly in water, while others live on land.
From Middle English "tortue" or "turtle," from Old French "tortue," from Latin "tartarucha" and Greek roots related to underworld creatures. The spelling shifted under the influence of the word "turtledove."
In British English, "tortoise" is usually for land animals and "turtle" for sea ones, but American English often calls them all turtles. Their shells are actually part of their skeleton, so a turtle can’t just "come out" of its shell like in cartoons.
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