: any of several small, wild, African and Eurasian pigeons (genus Streptopelia and especially S. turtur) noted for plaintive cooing
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebHello, turtledoves, and welcome back to another edition of This Week in Timothée Chalamet. Cady Drell, Marie Claire, 21 Dec. 2018
Word History
Etymology
Middle English turtul douve, turtill dowfe "the dove Streptopelia turtur," from turtul, turtillturtle entry 3 + douve, dowfedove entry 1