Emily Dickinson Lexicon

TUR'TLE, n. [Sax. id; Fr. tourterelle; L. turtur; Gaelic, turtuir; It. tortora, tortola, tortorella.]

1. A gallinaceous fowl, the Columba Turtur; called also the turtle dove, and turtle pigeon. It is a wild species, frequenting the thickest parts of the woods, and its note is plaintive and tender. Ed. Encyc.
2. The name sometimes given to the common tortoise.
3. The name given to the large sea-tortoise. Cyc.