Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Definition for TOR'TOISE
TOR'TOISE, n. [tor'tis; from L. tortus, twisted.]
- An animal of the genus Testudo, covered with a shell or crust.
- In the military art, a defense used by the ancients, formed by the troops arranging themselves in close order and placing their bucklers over their heads, making a cover resembling a tortoise-shell.
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