armadillo

noun

ar·​ma·​dil·​lo ˌär-mə-ˈdi-(ˌ)lō 

plural armadillos

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

Illustration of armadillo

Examples of armadillo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Resembling a battle-ready opossum, the armadillo is a fairly new resident of the Volunteer State. —Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Oct. 2025

In the past, the Small Mammals Building has been the home of such animals as fruit bats, sloths, porcupines, armadillos, tamarins, otters, lemurs and mongooses. —Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 28 Oct. 2025

This study demonstrated that dentin microwear can reveal dietary differences between leaf-eating sloths and insect-consuming armadillos, giving us confidence that these tools could reveal dietary information from ground sloth fossils. —Aditya Reddy Kurre, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025

Other likely culprits include armadillos or birds, says Waltz. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish, noun derivative, with -illo, diminutive suffix, of armado, past participle of armar "to arm," going back to Latin armāre — more at arm entry 2

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for armadillo

• billow
• pillow
• caudillo

Kids Definition

armadillo

noun

ar·​ma·​dil·​lo ˌär-mə-ˈdil-ō 

plural armadillos

: any of several small burrowing mammals of warm parts of the Americas whose head and body are protected by hard bony armor