From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtortoiseshelltor‧toise‧shell /ˈtɔːtəsʃel, ˈtɔːtəʃel $ ˈtɔːr-/ noun 1 [uncountable]HBATI a hard shiny brown and white material made from the shell of a tortoise2 [countable]HBADHP a cat that has yellow, brown, and black marks on its fur3 [countable]HBI a butterfly that has brown and orange wings
Examples from the Corpus
tortoiseshell• tortoiseshell glasses• First, what exactly is a tortoiseshell cat?• Her auburn hair had been lifted from her shoulders and tied with a tortoiseshell slide.• a tortoiseshell brush• This beautiful tortoiseshell stretched, licked a languid paw and sat up.• It was Rats, Molly's huge tortoiseshell cat.• The chances of finding a male tortoiseshell have been calculated at about 200 to 1.• A visible example of X chromosome inactivation is the tortoiseshell cat.• The tortoiseshell cat was found wounded and frightened in Grangetown, Middlesbrough, and brought to an animal sanctuary. 