Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A pleurodirous tortoise of the genus Chelys, C. fimbriata or matamata.
- noun [capitalized] [NL.] A genus of such turtles: a synonym of Chelys.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) The bearded tortoise (
Chelys fimbriata ) of South American rivers.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A species of
side-necked turtle , Chelus fimbriatus, whose shell resembles a dead leaf.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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The strange creature we had found was a matamata (_Chelys matamata_).
On the Banks of the Amazon William Henry Giles Kingston 1847
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A framework of saplings tied together with strips of _matamata_ bark was raised for a roof, and across this were laid gigantic leaves of the _murumuru_, twenty-five to thirty feet long.
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In the curious matamata, the jaws of which open very wide, these parts, instead of being armed by a strong beak, are protected by a sheath of horn.
The Western World Picturesque Sketches of Nature and Natural History in North and South America William Henry Giles Kingston 1847
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"True will find many more formidable antagonists than the matamata in these regions, and he must be taught to restrain his ardour, or he may some day, I fear, ` catch a Tartar. '"
On the Banks of the Amazon William Henry Giles Kingston 1847
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We carried the matamata to the camp, and on landing it drew it up with sipos, with its neck stretched out.
On the Banks of the Amazon William Henry Giles Kingston 1847
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Grotesque, and unlike what we fancy a reality, -- such as those creatures which the wild imagination of the painters of bygone days delighted in producing, -- is the curious matamata (Chelys matamata), found along the banks of the Amazon, as well as in Guiana.
The Western World Picturesque Sketches of Nature and Natural History in North and South America William Henry Giles Kingston 1847
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They found 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a matamata turtle inside the bag.
News24 Top Stories 2010
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The department said its enforcement officers found 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a matamata turtle inside the luggage.
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They found 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a matamata turtle inside the bag.
News24 Top Stories 2010
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(Galibi) reptiles: arrau (Maipure), jacare (Tupí), matamata (Tupí) insects: chigoe (Cariban), sauba (Tupi), pinacate (Nahuatl) beverages: cassiri (Carib), guarana (Tupí), sotol (Nahuatl)
mollusque commented on the word matamata
A large turtle from northern South America; a South American tree of the genus Eschweilera.
December 16, 2007
bilby commented on the word matamata
Looks like the tag should be aaaa. And that's about the extent of my maths ability :-7
December 16, 2007
mollusque commented on the word matamata
Bilby, I'm finally getting around retagging my monovocalics. Originally I tagged them with aaa, eee, iii, ooo, or uuu, regardless of how many vowels.
March 3, 2008