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cooter

cooter

3 9.9
A large freshwater turtle that sits in the sun on logs and rocks in southern United States rivers
  • noun
  • /ˈkuːtər/
  • US
translation icon : tortuga cooter
  • During our nature hike, we identified a cooter as it slid off a log and into the water.

Examples

  • Oh, man, we were, we just saw a cooter run by here, you know?

  • The guy who ran the John Deere harvester was nicknamed Cooter.

  • While kayaking on the river, we spotted a cooter basking on a rock in the sun.

  • The cooter is a common sight in the southern rivers, often seen swimming alongside other turtles.

Synonyms

Pseudemys concinna
vscooter
  • Specialized
9.9

A large river turtle found in the southern United States and northern Mexico

is the general name for large freshwater turtles of that genus
river cooter
vscooter
  • US
9.9

A large freshwater turtle with a smooth shell that lives in rivers of the southern US and Mexico

is the broader term for similar large freshwater turtles in that region
Pseudemys scripta
vscooter
  • Specialized
9.9

A freshwater turtle often kept and sold as a pet

is a regional wild river turtle rather than a commonly kept pet species

Compounds

9.9

A large freshwater turtle with a smooth shell that lives in rivers of the southern US and Mexico

Surface Forms

cooter singular
cooters plural

Etymology

Cooter comes from the Gullah word kuta, which means 'turtle' and comes from West African languages. That's why people in the American South call the big river turtles you see sunning on logs cooters.