armadillo

American  

[ahr-muh-dil-oh] / ˌɑr məˈdɪl oʊ /

noun

armadillos plural

1. any of several burrowing, chiefly nocturnal mammals constituting the family Dasypodidae, ranging from the southern U.S. through South America, having strong claws and a jointed protective covering of bony plates: used in certain areas for food.

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armadillo British  

/ ˌɑːməˈdɪləʊ /

noun

1. any edentate mammal of the family Dasypodidae of Central and South America and S North America, such as Priodontes giganteus ( giant armadillo ). They are burrowing animals, with peglike rootless teeth and a covering of strong horny plates over most of the body

2. another name for pichiciego

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• armadillos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of armadillo

1570–80; < Spanish, equivalent to armad ( o ) armed (< Latin armātus; see arm ², -ate ¹) + -illo < Latin -illus diminutive suffix

Compare meaning

How does armadillo compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• aardvark vs. armadillo

Explanation

An armadillo is a four-legged animal with a rounded body that's covered in hard plates. You're most likely to see an armadillo in South or Central America, or possibly in the southern US. Armadillos range from the size of a chipmunk to as big as a large dog. They're nocturnal, so they mostly hunt for food at night and sleep during the day, and are excellent diggers, with very sharp claws. Armadillos are distinctive because of the bony plates that cover them and their protective habit of rolling into a ball. Armadillo is Spanish, the diminutive form of armado, or "armored."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

armadillo armadillos

Two rare snow leopard cubs have been born at the park, alongside Himalayan monals and red deer, as well as Bru the capybara, Snoot the giant armadillo and Atty the sloth at Edinburgh Zoo.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Today, there are only three survivors: the nine-banded armadillo, the Virginia opossum and the North American porcupine.

From Science Daily ● May 28, 2024

Eating armadillo meat is not a clear cause of leprosy, but capturing and raising armadillos, along with preparing its meat, are risk factors.

From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2024

“The resultant architecture is like a spherical armadillo — shaped by the local climate — while opening and inviting the life of the Strip to enter and explore,” Ingels stated in the team’s news release.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2024

In fact, there were several stores on I-Drive that sold actual, literal armadillo crap—$4.95 a bag.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

A zoo has marked the 19th birthday of a pair of armadillos this week.

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026

Fish such as wolf fish, peacock bass, and South American lungfish were especially common, accompanied by reptiles including caimans and turtles, and mammals such as capybaras, pacas, and armadillos.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2025

The reverse trek was made by four different kinds of ground sloths, oversized armadillos, terror birds, capybaras and even a marsupial.

From Science Daily ● May 28, 2024

It can also be spread by coming into contact with armadillos that are carrying the bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2023

Giant-plated armadillos once roamed in the very valley where small armadillos were now moving through the brush.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee