Tes*tu`di*na"ta (?), n. pl. [Nl. See Testudo.] Zool.
An order of reptiles which includes the turtles and tortoises. The body is covered by a shell consisting of an upper or dorsal shell, called the carapace, and a lower or ventral shell, called the plastron, each of which consists of several plates.
© Webster 1913.