armadillo

[ahr-muh-dil-oh]

noun

plural

armadillos 

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.

armadillo

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of armadillo¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of armadillo¹

C16: from Spanish, diminutive of armado armed (man), from Latin armātus armed; compare _armada

Example Sentences

Among the half-dozen tattoos Ty Myers has accumulated in his 18 years on earth, “probably the dumbest,” he says, is the armadillo he picked out from a set of ready-mades at a festival in Oklahoma.

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Eskow: He also said there's nothing in the middle of the road except yellow lines and dead armadillos.

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It’s not a lazy river or an interactive armadillo zoo, but it’s a start.

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Disneyland regulars who go on the ride multiple times will also become familiar with Lari the armadillo, a good-natured thief who appears multiple times throughout the ride.

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Her collection of animals could outnumber her children and included a wandering armadillo that broke up tea parties and a pet hawk that once landed on the wig of a politician’s wife.

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