armadillo
Americannoun
noun
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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
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another name for pichiciego
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of armadillo
1570–80; < Spanish, equivalent to armad ( o ) armed (< Latin armātus; see arm 2, -ate 1) + -illo < Latin -illus diminutive suffix
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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."
Vocabulary lists containing armadillo
Amazing Animals, A-Z
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Crenshaw
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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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
A designer compares it to ‘a spherical armadillo.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
The transmission mechanism between zoonotic reservoirs and susceptible individuals is unknown, but it is strongly suspected that direct contact with an infected armadillo poses a significant risk of developing leprosy.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2024
"Take a crocodile from modern day, and turn it into an armadillo," said Reyes.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2024
As a matter of fact, she was more like an armadillo.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
A zoo has marked the 19th birthday of a pair of armadillos this week.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026
Animals such as capybaras and giant armadillos that wouldn't have ventured farther north used this strip of humid grassland to move from Mexico to Texas to Florida.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 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
Before this discovery, armadillos were considered to be the only living mammals with these structures.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2024
Giant-plated armadillos once roamed in the very valley where small armadillos were now moving through the brush.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
