armadillo

American  

[ahr-muh-dil-oh] / ˌɑr məˈdɪl oʊ /

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.

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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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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

Keepers of the six-banded armadillo pair, native to South America, celebrated the milestone on Monday.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2025

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

What if the small armadillos of today had arisen from a giant ancestral armadillo?

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee