turtle dove
English
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turtle dove
- /ˈtɜːtəldʌv/ UK
- /ˈtɝtəldʌv/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English turtildove, turteldoufe (cognate with Old High German turtultūba, turtulatūba, turtiltūba, Middle High German turteltūbe, türteltūbe, German Turteltaube; German Low German Turtelduuv, Dutch tortelduif, Faroese turtildúgva, Icelandic turtildúfa), Danish turteldue, Norwegian Bokmål turteldue, Norwegian Nynorsk turteldue, Swedish turturduva. The first element is from Latin turtur (“turtledove”) (compare the archaic synonym turtle (“turtle dove (bird)”); the word is not related to turtle (“reptile with a shell”).
noun turtle doves · turtle-dove · turtledove
- Any of several (species of) birds, called by this traditional name, mainly in the genus Streptopelia, of the family Columbidae (doves and pigeons, which also included the extinct passenger pigeon, dodo, and solitaire).
- A lover, one half of a couple. […] and then on a common impulse this curiously simple pair of habitual criminals were in each other's arms and exchanging fond kisses for all the world like honest lovers. "Hullo, turtle doves," remarked Nickle, stumbling in upon this idyll and accepting it with saving coolness.
Translations
Every language
noun bird in the genus Streptopelia
| Español | tórtola |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 山鳩 yamabato, 子雉鳩 kokijibato |
| 中文 | 斑鳩 /斑鸠 bānjiū, 歐斑鳩 /欧斑鸠 ōubānjiū |
| Kiswahili | hua |
| Português | rola, rôla |
| Français | tourterelle |
| Deutsch | Turteltaube |
| Italiano | tortora |
| Ελληνικά | τριγόνι trigóni |
| Română | turturică, turturea |
| Русский | го́рлица górlica, го́рлинка górlinka |
| العربية | تُرْغُلَّة turḡulla |
| עברית | ימימה Yemîmâ |
noun lover, one half of a couple
| Deutsch | Turteltaube |
|---|
Talk about this word "turtle dove." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/turtle%20dove. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. turtle dove. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/turtle%20dove "turtle dove." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/turtle%20dove.Cite this
@misc{turtle_dove_2026,
title = {turtle dove},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/turtle%20dove},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
