Chelonia

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Chelonia \Che*lo"ni*a\ (k[-e]*l[=o]"n[i^]*[.a]), n. pl. [NL.,
     fr. Gr. chelw`nh a tortoise.] (Zool.)
     An order of reptiles, including the tortoises and turtles,
     peculiar in having a part of the vertebr[ae], ribs, and
     sternum united with the dermal plates so as to form a firm
     shell. The jaws are covered by a horny beak. See {Reptilia};


     also, Illust. in Appendix.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Chelonia
       n 1: green turtles [syn: {genus Chelonia}]
       2: tortoises and turtles [syn: {order Chelonia}, {Testudinata},
           {order Testudinata}, {Testudines}, {order Testudines}]