Meanings
plural armadillo bugs
- A common name for several species of woodlouse (such as those in family Armadillidiidae) that roll into a ball when disturbed.
At Tulpehocken Street, playing in the woodpile by the stable, the creature, which I called an armadillo bug, somehow got into my ear.
1946, Cornelius Weygandt, On the Edge of Evening, →OCLC, page 211 more example
Dad held his breath while Pam rolled over like an armadillo bug. Mom stood up from her chair and wandered to the edge of the porch watching, but Pam wasn't hurt. She hadn't even let go of the ball!
2003, Helen Kay Polaski, Forget me Knots... from the Front Porch, →ISBN, page 70
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA common name for several species of woodlouse (such as those in family Armadillidiidae) that roll into a ball when disturbed.
Origin
From armadillo + bug, owing to its resemblance to the mammal in form and certain behaviors.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with armadillo bug
All rhymes →Cite this entry
armadillo bug. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/armadillo%20bug
“armadillo bug.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/armadillo%20bug. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “armadillo bug,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/armadillo%20bug.
Source: armadillo bug on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.