LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

chelys

chelys f (genitive chelyos or chelyis)
Classical[ˈkʰɛ.lys]Ecclesiastical[ˈkɛː.lis]

Meaning

  1. femininea tortoise
  2. femininea tortoise shell, a lyre or harp made of a tortoise shell

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativechelyschelyes
genitivechelyos
chelyis		chelyum
dativechelyīchelyibus
accusativechelynchelyas
ablativechelyechelyibus
vocativechelys
chely		chelyes

chĕlys, acc. chelyn, voc. chely (other cases apparently not in use), f., = χέλυς.
I. The tortoise, Petr. Fragm. 32, 5.—
II. As in Greek (cf. Lidd. and Scott in h. v.), a lyre or harp made of its shell, pure Lat. testudo (except Ovid, in post-Aug. poets only; most freq. in Statius): chelys, Stat. S. 1, 5, 1; 4, 4, 33; Claud. III. Cons. Hon. praef. 18; id. Cons. Mall. Theod. 313; id. IV. Cons. Hon. 123; Prud. Apoth. 455: chelyn, Ov. H. 15, 181; Stat. S. 1, 5, 11; 2, 2, 120; 4, 6, 30; 4, 8, 38; id. Th. 6, 366; Sen. Troad. 325; id. Herc. Oet. 1034; Claud. Rapt. Pros. 2, praef. 8: chely, Stat. S. 4, 3, 119.—
B. The constellation Lyra, Avien. Arat. 617 and 631.

Origins

From the Ancient Greek χέλῡς (khélūs, “tortoise”).

Quick answers

What does chelys mean in Latin?
chelys, a noun, means “a tortoise; a tortoise shell, a lyre or harp made of a tortoise shell”.
What is the genitive of chelys?
The genitive singular is chelyos. chelys is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce chelys?
In classical Latin, [ˈkʰɛ.lys]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈkɛː.lis].