Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A slender sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) of tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, having a hawklike beak and heavily harvested in the past for its carapace, the source of tortoiseshell.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Same as hawk-bill, 1.
  • noun The catch or detent controlling the striking-movement of a clock.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun See hawkbill.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The tropical marine turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, that is a source of tortoiseshell.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun pugnacious tropical sea turtle with a hawk-like beak; source of food and the best tortoiseshell

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Here are three sorts of sea-turtle, namely hawksbill, loggerhead, and green: but none of them are in any esteem, neither Spaniards nor Portuguese loving them: nay they have a great antipathy against them, and would much rather eat a porpoise, though our English count the green turtle very extraordinary food.

    A Voyage to New Holland William Dampier 1683

  • He didn't dream any more than the Chink, but coming back he stopped for hawksbill turtle at the very beach where you say the mate of the Flirt was killed.

    THE PROUD GOAT OFALOYSIUS PANKBURN 2010

  • The mood is one of hope, lambent optimism for the future, and the streets are busy: wares, from hammocks to human hair brushes to hawksbill turtle shells, are being hawked with zest; horse-drawn buggies spindle in and about the cobblestone streets; children are skylarking in the alleys.

    Richard Bangs: Nic' of Time Richard Bangs 2010

  • The mood is one of hope, lambent optimism for the future, and the streets are busy: wares, from hammocks to human hair brushes to hawksbill turtle shells, are being hawked with zest; horse-drawn buggies spindle in and about the cobblestone streets; children are skylarking in the alleys.

    Richard Bangs: Nic' of Time Richard Bangs 2010

  • The mood is one of hope, lambent optimism for the future, and the streets are busy: wares, from hammocks to human hair brushes to hawksbill turtle shells, are being hawked with zest; horse-drawn buggies spindle in and about the cobblestone streets; children are skylarking in the alleys.

    Richard Bangs: Nic' of Time Richard Bangs 2010

  • It might be a lace handkerchief, a pink Paumotan pearl, or a comb of hawksbill turtle.

    BY THE TURTLES OF TASMAN 2010

  • The islands are important for two species of sea turtle: green turtle Chelonia mydas (EN) and hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata (CR) which are common in the surrounding waters, with the former nesting on sandy beaches.

    Galápagos National Park & Galápagos Marine Resources Reserve, Ecuador 2009

  • Whales, rare green sea turtles, and hawksbill turtles also ply these aquamarine waters, along with nine species of sea snakes, some lethal.

    Richard Bangs: Bahrain: Once Was Paradise, Part 2 Richard Bangs 2011

  • The mood is one of hope, lambent optimism for the future, and the streets are busy: wares, from hammocks to human hair brushes to hawksbill turtle shells, are being hawked with zest; horse-drawn buggies spindle in and about the cobblestone streets; children are skylarking in the alleys.

    Richard Bangs: Nic' of Time Richard Bangs 2010

  • Whales, rare green sea turtles, and hawksbill turtles also ply these aquamarine waters, along with nine species of sea snakes, some lethal.

    Richard Bangs: Bahrain: Once Was Paradise, Part 2 Richard Bangs 2011

Comments

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  • A ewer of very large size. Cf. loggerhead, a name of a type of inkstand.

    December 31, 2011