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armadillos

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armadillos


  1  definition  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Armadillo  \Ar`ma*dil"lo\  ([aum]r`m[.a]*d[i^]l"l[-o]),  n.;  pl 
  {Armadillos}  (-l[=o]z).  [Sp.  armadillo,  dim.  of  armado  armed, 
  p.  p.  of  armar  to  arm.  So  called  from  being  armed  with  a  bony 
  shell.]  (Zo["o]l.) 
  a  Any  edentate  animal  if  the  family  {Dasypid[ae]},  peculiar 
  to  America.  The  body  and  head  are  incased  in  an  armor 
  composed  of  small  bony  plates.  The  armadillos  burrow  in 
  the  earth,  seldom  going  abroad  except  at  night.  When 
  attacked,  they  curl  up  into  a  ball,  presenting  the  armor 
  on  all  sides.  Their  flesh  is  good  food.  There  are  several 
  species,  one  of  which  (the  peba)  is  found  as  far  north  as 
  Texas.  See  {Peba},  {Poyou},  {Tatouay}. 
  b  A  genus  of  small  isopod  Crustacea  that  can  roll 
  themselves  into  a  ball. 




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