painted turtle
1
5.1
- noun
- /ˈpeɪntɪd ˈtɜːrtl/
- US
:
tortuga pintada
- Litwin, S. 1976. Basking activity in the eastern painted turtle, Chrysemys picta picta. Master's thesis, Rutgers University.
- eastern painted turtle
Examples
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During our visit to the pond, we learned about the painted turtle and its vibrant shell colors.
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In the project, basking behavior and frequency for this species were compared with that of the painted turtles (see figure 3).
Academic text (1992) -
PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): Figure 4: An eastern painted turtle extends its limbs and head during basking.
Academic text (1992) -
Life seemed to continue on as Natalie painted turtles and played tricks on the nurses while Alice dressed in her Cinderella gown and had tea parties with the staff.
Blog text (34) -
PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): Figure 3. An example of piling behavior displayed by eastern painted turtles. Note that the turtles underneath "Doctor" are almost completely dry.
Academic text (1992) -
They range from a family of stone rabbits to four very cartoony and loudly painted turtles (way bigger than the rabbits) to a pair of large, very modern metal horse heads that are on either side of the driveway facing each other to a four-foot-tall bear that is lit up at night.
Blog text (28) -
While hiking near the lake, we spotted a painted turtle basking on a rock with its bright yellow and red markings.
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The children were excited to see a painted turtle swimming gracefully in the clear water.
Synonyms
A freshwater turtle with bright yellow and red markings often called the painted turtle
A freshwater turtle with bright yellow and red markings on its shell and skin
A freshwater turtle with bright yellow and red markings on its shell and head
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase denotes a turtle characterized by colorful markings, a meaning directly derivable from combining 'painted' (marked by patches of different colors) with 'turtle' (a shelled reptile). This clear descriptive, compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The compound noun painted turtle is named for the bright red and yellow marks on its shell and skin that look as if someone painted them on a turtle. So, the name refers to 'a turtle with colorful, paint-like patterns'.