English

Noun

turtling ‎(uncountable)

1. The hunting of turtles (the reptiles).
2. (nautical) Turning turtle.
3. (figuratively) Any slow progression or build-up.
4. (games (board, card, and computer)) A defensive strategy of avoiding conflict, usually in a fixed position.

Verb

turtling

1. present participle of turtle

Etymology 2

From turtle +‎ -ling.

Noun

turtling ‎(plural turtlings)

1. A baby turtle.
   • 1912, William Vaughn Moody, The poems and plays of William Vaughn Moody:

     Drowsy with dawn, barely asail, Buzzes the blue-bottle over the shale, Scared from the pool by the leaping trout; And the brood of turtlings clamber out On the log by their oozy house.

   • 1997, in Sportdiving (magazine), volumes 59–64, page 94:

     The turtle-lings, kept in safety until they are three months old, are then released into the wild.

   • 2012, Alexandra de Vries, Shawn Blore, Frommer's Brazil:

     Fifty days later, more or less, the little turtlings hatch, dig their way up through the sand, and make a mad scramble to the sea.