tatouay

T1A1T1O1U1A1Y4

noun

An armadillo (Cabassous tatouay), native to tropical South America; the broad-banded armadillo.

Similar
cabassousCabassous unicinctus
OriginTupi-Guarani ← Old Tupi tatu →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

nountatouay (plural tatouays)

plural tatouays

  1. An armadillo (Cabassous tatouay), native to tropical South America; the broad-banded armadillo.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounnaked-tailed armadillo of tropical South America

Similar
cabassousCabassous unicinctus
Broader
armadillo

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Tupitatu“armadillo”
  2. Tupi-Guarani
  3. Englishtatouay

From a compound word in a Tupi-Guarani language (compare tatu-ai), of which the first element is ultimately from Old Tupi tatu (“armadillo”). Compare Portuguese tatu, French tatou. The second element (ay or ai) may mean "wound" because of a belief that its fat was used on wounds, or "colored", or "worthless".

More words from Tupi-Guarani, Old Tupi

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tatouay. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tatouay

MLA

“tatouay.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tatouay. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tatouay,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tatouay.

Source: tatouay on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.