turtleback

See also: turtle-back

English

Wikispecies

Alternative forms

• turtle-back

Etymology

turtle +‎ back

Noun

turtleback (plural turtlebacks)

1. Anything having the shape of a turtle's back (that is, its shell).
   • 1975, Poul Anderson, The Winter of the World:

     Up he went on concrete stairs that were eroded to turtlebacks and slippery with evening's frost […]

2. (nautical) A convex deck at the bow or stern of a vessel, designed to shed seawater quickly.
3. (military, nautical) An armor layout with an armored deck which slopes downwards towards the sides of the ship and connects to the lower edge of the main belt armor, designed to deflect shells striking the ship on trajectories close to horizontal.
4. A primitive stone celt of a form suggesting the back of a turtle.
5. A library binding of a mass market paperback with a generic hardcover.
   • 1995, The Georgia Librarian, volumes 32-34:

     When you order Turtleback Books from Baker & Taylor, you can be assured you get Turtlebacks!

   (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

6. Any plant of the genus Psathyrotes of annual and perennial forbs and low subshrubs native to dry areas of southwestern North America.

Related terms

• turtle-backed
• turtle-back scale