chelonian en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /t͡ʃɪˈ-/ (General-American, colloquial)
- /kɪˈloʊ.ni.ən/ (General-American)
- /kɪˈləʊ.ni.ən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /t͡ʃɪˈ-/ (Received-Pronunciation, colloquial)
Etymology
Chelonia + -an
Meanings
-
Of, relating to, or belonging to the order Chelonia (Testudines), which includes the turtles and tortoises.
Chelonian eggs may be leathery or parchment-shelled that indent easily when laid and expand due to water uptake during incubation; harder-shelled but expansible eggs which behave much like parchment eggs during incubation; and brittle-shelled eggs which do not indent when laid and usually take up little or no external water during incubation (Ewert, 1979, 1985; Kuchling, 1999).
2004, Don Moll, The Ecology, Exploitation and Conservation of River Turtles, page 46:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more chelonian | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most chelonian | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |