Chelonia
/kəˈloʊniə/noun
A taxonomic group of turtles and tortoises.
Did you know?The name comes from Greek χελώνη (chelṓnē), the ordinary word for a turtle or tortoise, and it later became the scientific name for the turtle order, giving a humble creature an ancient, almost ritual-sounding label.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
χελώνη (chelṓnē)
“turtle, tortoise”
Late Latin
Latin
Chelonia
“a turtle-like classification name”
18th-19th Century
English
Chelonia
“a scientific group of turtles and tortoises”
Modern English
English
chelonia
“turtles and tortoises collectively in zoological classification”