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Glite Dictionary
tortoiseshell cat

tortoiseshell cat

3.3
A domestic cat with black, orange, and cream patches of fur
  • noun
  • /ˈtɔrtəˌʃɛl kæt/
translation icon : gato carey
  • A large tortoiseshell cat slumbered next to a pot of scarlet geraniums.

Examples

  • Lauren has two tortoiseshell cats.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The tortoiseshell cat sat on the windowsill, basking in the sunlight.

  • Big tortoiseshell cat is rubbing against her ankles.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • So this is a new eyeshadow palette and all the shades are inspired by my lavender short hair, tortoiseshell cat, Betty Kitten.

  • Lauren has two tortoiseshell cats that love to play together.

  • She often takes her tortoiseshell cat for a walk in the park on a leash.

Synonyms

tortoiseshell
vstortoiseshell cat
1 6.1

A cat with black, cream, and orange patches on its fur

is the same domestic coat pattern as described here
tortie
vstortoiseshell cat
7.0

A cat with mixed black and orange patches of fur

is broader, noting cream and yellowish patches rather than only orange

How Patterned

calico cat
1 1.3
tortoiseshell cat
3.3
tabby cat
1 1.0
bicolor
4.9
solid-colored
  • US
1 3.4

Surface Forms

tortoiseshell cat singular
tortoiseshell cats plural

Morphology

tortoiseshell + cat

This is a straightforward descriptive compound: 'tortoiseshell' denotes a particular mottled coat pattern and 'cat' denotes the animal, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer it means a cat with a tortoiseshell-patterned coat. The meaning is fully compositional and non-idiomatic, following common noun+noun/adj+noun naming patterns found across languages.

Etymology

Tortoiseshell cat gets its name from the cat's fur, which has patches of black, orange, and cream that look like a tortoise's shell. So the name means 'a cat with a patchy coat of many colors'.