ter·ra·pin [ térrəpin ](pluralter·ra·pins or ter·ra·pin)
noun
Definition:
1. N American turtle: a moderate-sized turtle. Native to: brackish water in eastern North America. Latin name Malaclemys terrapin.
2. small freshwater turtle: a turtle with four webbed feet, a shell like that of a tortoise, and a retractable head. Terrapins are usually smaller than tortoises, live in fresh water and on land, and are carnivorous. Family Emydidae.
3. regional reptiles Same as tortoise (sense 1)
[Early 17th century. Alteration of Virginia Algonquian torope]
Regional History
Terrapin in the sense "tortoise" is a common term throughout the Middle Atlantic and Southern states. A variant is dry-land terrapin.
