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Glite Dictionary
Chelonia mydas

Chelonia mydas

9.8
A large sea turtle with green flesh that lives in warm tropical oceans, called the green turtle
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Chelonia mydas
  • The endangered Chelonia mydas is protected under international conservation laws.

Examples

  • Marine biologists have tracked the migration patterns of the Chelonia mydas across the Pacific Ocean.

  • Traditional turtle soup was often prepared using the meat of Chelonia mydas.

  • Wow! Look at that Chelonia mydas swimming gracefully!

  • The Chelonia mydas is a fascinating creature.

  • Marine biologists have tracked the migration patterns of the Chelonia mydas across the Pacific Ocean.

  • The endangered Chelonia mydas is protected under international conservation laws.

  • Traditional turtle soup was often prepared using the meat of Chelonia mydas.

Synonyms

green turtle
vsChelonia mydas
1 3.9

A large sea turtle with a smooth greenish shell that lives in warm seas

is the scientific species name used in biology without culinary focus

Surface Forms

Chelonia mydas singular
Chelonia mydases plural

Morphology

Chelonia + mydas

This is a Linnaean scientific binomial (a taxonomic proper name) rather than a compositional English phrase, so its meaning ('green turtle') functions as an arbitrary label and is not derivable from the parts. The second element is not a recognizable English word and even if a learner knew 'Chelonia' as a genus of turtles, a B1 learner would not be able to infer the common-name meaning, making it opaque.

Etymology

Chelonia mydas comes from old Greek words: Chelonia means 'tortoise' and mydas may come from a word for the turtle's greenish flesh. So the scientific name points to the animal we call the 'green turtle' today.