skilpadde
[ˈʂîlːˌpɑ̀dːə]feminine, masculine
The English word turtle is skilpadde in Norwegian. Wiktionary also lists skjelpadde.
Meaning: land or marine reptile with a shell (noun)
Ways to say it
| Norwegian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| skilpadde | [ˈʂîlːˌpɑ̀dːə] (narrow) | feminine, masculine |
| skjelpadde | feminine |
The term refers to a land or marine reptile with a shell. If you specifically wish to refer to a sea turtle, you can use either Havskilpadde or Sjøskilpadde.
What does it mean word for word?
The word skilpadde is a compound of skil, meaning shield or partition and padde, meaning toad.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of skilpadde is skilpadder, and the definite plural form is skilpaddene.
Did you know?
- In Norwegian, the term skilpadde covers both tortoises and turtles, regardless of whether they live on land or in the sea.
- The word skilpadde shares a common ancestor with the Low German 'schiltpadde', which is why Norwegian and Dutch words for turtle look so similar.
- In some Norwegian dialects, you may hear the variation skjelpadde instead of skilpadde, which uses the root for 'shell' instead of 'shield'.
Examples in context
- Hvorfor kjøpte du en skilpadde?Why did you buy a turtle?This sentence is useful for asking why someone purchased a skilpadde.Tatoeba #5152954 by Yomawaru, translation #5152913 by CarpeLanam
- Jeg så en stor skilpadde i havet.I saw a large turtle in the sea.
- En skilpadde ved navn BobA turtle named Bob
- En skilpadde kan leve veldig lenge.A turtle can live a very long time.
- Jeg så en liten skilpadde på stranden.I saw a small turtle on the beach.
Example conversation
Emma and Magnus are looking at a pet store window.
- EmmaSe, Magnus, en søt liten skilpadde!Look, Magnus, a cute little turtle!
- MagnusJa, den er faktisk ganske fin.Yes, it is actually quite nice.
- EmmaTror du en skilpadde er et godt kjæledyr?Do you think a turtle is a good pet?
- MagnusDet kan det være, men den trenger mye stell.It can be, but it needs a lot of care.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “turtle” translations and entries skilpadde, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries skilpadde, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
