armadillo

Where does the word "armadillo" come from? It comes from Spanish armado, passing through Spanish before entering English (1500s-1600s).

Armadillo’s story begins in Spanish: armado meant “armored.” Within Spanish, it grew into armadillo by 1500s. Literally "little armored one", describing the animal's shell. It reached English by 1500s-1600s as armadillo. Spanish for 'little armoured one', from the bony plates of its shell. Today, armadillo means a burrowing mammal covered in a tough, segmented shell.

1. Stage 1 · Spanish · medieval armado "armored", meaning "armored".
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1500s armadillo "the armored mammal", literally "little armored one", describing the animal's shell.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s-1600s armadillo "the shelled burrowing mammal", Spanish for 'little armoured one', from the bony plates of its shell.