WordWeb Online

1. The mottled horny substance of the shell of some turtles
    
2. Brilliantly coloured; larvae feed on nettles
   - tortoiseshell butterfly
    
3. A cat having black and cream-coloured and yellowish markings
   - tortoiseshell-cat, calico cat

Derived forms: tortoiseshells

Type of: brush-footed butterfly, cat, domestic cat, Felis catus, Felis domesticus, four-footed butterfly, horn, house cat, kitty, kitty-cat, mog [Brit], moggie [Brit], moggy [Brit], nymphalid, nymphalid butterfly, puss, pussy, pussycat

Part of: genus Nymphalis, Nymphalis

Encyclopedia: Tortoiseshell