Definitions

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

  • noun Chiefly British A turtle that lives in fresh or brackish water.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One of several different freshwater or tide-water tortoises of the family Emydidæ; specifically, in the United States, the diamond-back, Malaclemmys or Malacoclemmys palustris, of the Atlantic coast from New York to Texas, famous among epicures. See diamond-backed turtle (under diamond-backed), and Malaclemmys.
  • noun Some other tortoise or turtle: as, the elephant terrapin of the Galapagos.
  • noun A dish made of the diamond-back.

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

  • noun (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of tortoises living in fresh and brackish waters. Many of them are valued for food.
  • noun the snapping turtle.
  • noun any one of numerous species of American tortoises of the genus Cinosternon.
  • noun the painted turtle. See under Painted.
  • noun a small fresh-water American terrapin (Chelopus guttatus) having the carapace black with round yellow spots; -- called also spotted turtle.

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

  • noun Any of several North American turtles, of the family Emydidae, that live in fresh or brackish water.

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

  • noun any of various edible North American web-footed turtles living in fresh or brackish water

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of torope, from Virginia Algonquian.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From an Algonquian word torope ("little turtle"); compare Abenaki tolba ("turtle").

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Examples

  • In 1880, a Washington Post reporter called terrapin vital to any dinner party "laying claim to being a pretentious affair."

    Matthew Jacob: Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio and Turtle Soup? Matthew Jacob 2011

  • Oh dear dog, the idea of terrapin poo on KY's elegant 'do ....

    Archive 2006-04-02 Miss Snark 2006

  • Soon Jon-Tom and the terrapin were the only ones still playing.

    The Time of the Transference Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- 1987

  • "Some persons," wrote the Dutch traveller, Van der Donck, in 1656, "prepare delicious dishes from the water terrapin, which is luscious food."

    Home Life in Colonial Days Alice Morse Earle 1881

  • The terrapin is a small turtle, found on the shores of Maryland and

    North America 1862

  • The terrapin is a small turtle, found on the shores of Maryland and

    North America — Volume 1 Anthony Trollope 1848

  • A small tortoise, called a terrapin, [198] is taken in some rivers, creeks, and swampy grounds, and is used as an article of food.

    The Conquest of Canada (Vol. 1 of 2) George Warburton 1836

  • In addition to the clean-cars standards, the Legislature approved a bill outlawing the trapping of the diamondback terrapin, which is the state reptile and official mascot of the University of Maryland.

    Stateline.org RSS - stories 2009

  • In addition to the clean-cars standards, the Legislature approved a bill outlawing the trapping of the diamondback terrapin, which is the state reptile and official mascot of the University of Maryland.

    Stateline.org RSS - stories 2009

  • In addition to the clean-cars standards, the Legislature approved a bill outlawing the trapping of the diamondback terrapin, which is the state reptile and official mascot of the University of Maryland.

    Stateline.org RSS - stories 2009

Comments

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  • 1 terrapin = 10^^12 pins.

    February 23, 2008

  • Kuniyoshi's take

    September 21, 2009