I. ˌärməˈdi(ˌ)lō, ˌȧm-, -dilə sometimes -dē(ˌ)(y)ō noun
( plural armadillos also armadilloes )
Etymology: Spanish, diminutive of armado armed one (past participle of armar to arm), from Latin armatus
: any of several burrowing chiefly nocturnal mammals (family Dasypodidae) having body and head encased in an armor of small bony plates in which many of them can curl up into a ball presenting the armor on all sides when attacked, being widely distributed in warmer parts of the Americas and in some areas esteemed as food — see peba , peludo
[s]armadill.jpg[/s]
II.
Etymology: New Latin, from Spanish
synonym of armadillidium — see armadillidiidae