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cooter

 - 2 dictionary results

coot⋅er

[koo-ter]
–noun
Chiefly Southern U.S. any of several large aquatic turtles of the southern U.S. and northern Mexico.

Origin:
1820–30; said to be < Bambara, Malinke kuta turtle (with related forms in other Niger-Congo languages); cf. coot to copulate (of sea turtles), first attested in the Caribbean in 1667
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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coot·er   (kōō'tər)   
n.   Lower Southern U.S.
  1. An edible freshwater turtle of the genus Chrysemys.

  2. Any of various turtles or tortoises. See Regional Note at goober.


[Gullah, of Niger-Congo origin; akin to Mandingo kuta.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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