Main Entry:

ar·ma·dil·lo

Pronunciation:

\ˌär-mə-ˈdi-(ˌ)lō\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural ar·ma·dil·los

Etymology:

Spanish, from diminutive of armado armed one, from Latin armatus

Date:

1577

: any of a family (Dasypodidae) of burrowing edentate mammals found from the southern United States to Argentina and having the body and head encased in an armor of small bony plates

[armadillo illustration]