armadillo

[ ahr-muh-dil-oh ]

/ ˌɑr məˈdɪl oʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR armadillo ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ar·ma·dil·los.

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.

Nearby words

arm-wrestle, arm., armada, armada chest, armada, spanish, armadillo, armageddon, armagh, armagnac, armalite, armament

Origin of armadillo

1570–80; < Spanish, equivalent to armad(o) armed (< Latin armātus; see arm², -ate¹) + -illo < Latin -illus diminutive suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for armadillo

Nicaragua: Nicaragua boasts not one, but two species of everyone's favorite armored mammal, the armadillo.
Which Country Should Snowden Live In?|Sarah Hedgecock|July 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And, like a true critic, Menkes dwelled for a moment on the centerpiece of that collection, the infamous Armadillo boot.
Inside Alexander McQueen's Memorial|Isabel Wilkinson|September 20, 2010|DAILY BEAST
How Alexander McQueen's "armadillo boots" charmed Lady Gaga, Daphne Guinness, and Barbie.
Best Shoes Ever|Rebecca Dana|February 4, 2010|DAILY BEAST
When you were doing the interview, David, were you aware of just how thick skinned, how armored, he was like an armadillo?
David Frost on Frost/Nixon|The Daily Beast|December 6, 2008|DAILY BEAST

In front, near the centre, is the glyptodon another South American animal of the armadillo tribe.
A Manual of the Antiquity of Man|J. P. MacLean
They nibbled tortillas and a coil of cheese, an armadillo scrabbling in the distance.
When the Owl Cries|Paul Bartlett
The armadillo had not heard of any danger, but he replied that it had passed.
Fairy Tales from Brazil|Elsie Spicer Eells
In zoology the word is used of the bony shell of the armadillo.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 5|Various
The hard plates of the armadillo are thus in strong contrast to the softer skins of other animals.
Colouration in Animals and Plants|Alfred Tylor

British Dictionary definitions for armadillo

armadillo

/ (ˌɑːməˈdɪləʊ) /

noun plural -los

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

fairy armadillo another name for pichiciego

Word Origin for armadillo

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012