Wiktionary

turtle dove

See also: turtledove and turtle-dove

English

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turtle doves

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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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”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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turtle dove (plural turtle doves)

  1. 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).
  2. A lover or couple as a pair.
    • 1961, 101 Dalmatians:
      Out for their evening constitutional. A lovely pair of turtledoves. Around the jolly corner, and off to the park.

Derived terms

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Translations

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