From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtortoisetor‧toise /ˈtɔːtəs $ ˈtɔːr-/ noun [countable] 
HBAa slow-moving land animal that can pull its head and legs into the hard round shell that covers its body → turtle
HBAa slow-moving land animal that can pull its head and legs into the hard round shell that covers its body → turtleExamples from the Corpus
tortoise• To my left hand was a small ledge and on it, rather surprisingly, a tortoise appeared.• The desert tortoise is one of many species in the protected area.• This week one old dear ignored her relatives and left £25,000 to her tortoise.• Several other cruisers squatted dourly like giant hibernating tortoises.• I mean, wouldn't a nice tortoise be a more worthy beneficiary than the reptilian Jamie?• Noticing the eagle and the tortoise now, he stopped dead.• Only by smashing the tortoise, could the bird get at its succulent flesh.Origin tortoise (1400-1500) Old French tortue, from Vulgar Latin tartaruca, from Late Latin tartaruchus “of Tartarus”, from Greek tartarouchos, from Tartaros “Tartarus, the land of the dead in ancient stories”; because it used to be thought that tortoises and turtles came from hell 