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

More likely culprits are armadillos, skunks, or birds. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2025

Attaching hardware cloth is usually enough to deter armadillos from digging around under foundations, says Dykes. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 July 2025

Parque de Aventura Las Nubes Just over five minutes from the heart of San Juan del Sur is Parque de Aventura Las Nubes, a tropical nature preserve that protects sloths, monkeys, wildcats, anteaters, armadillos, and more than 100 species of birds. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 15 June 2025

Llama-like guanacos, dwarf armadillos, and giant flightless birds, called choiques, were all frequent visitors. —Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 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