tartaruga
turtle
noun tar-tah-ROO-gah Rare
Origin: From Late Latin 'tartaruca', linked to 'Tartarus', the underworld.
Also means
tortoise
Usage Note
Tartaruga covers both freshwater turtles and land tortoises; Italian does not systematically distinguish the two as English does. The sea turtle is tartaruga marina. The proverbial slowness appears in lento come una tartaruga (as slow as a tortoise).
Examples
"La tartaruga cammina lentamente sulla spiaggia."
Natural Translation
The turtle walks slowly on the beach.
Related Words
Explore Italian by topic