Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun An armadillo; specifically, the giant armadillo, Tatusia or Prionodonta gigas. Also
tatu .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) The giant armadillo (
Priodontes gigas ) of tropical South America. It becomes nearly five feet long including the tail. It is noted for its burrowing powers, feeds largely upon dead animals, and sometimes invades human graves.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
giant armadillo .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun about three feet long exclusive of tail
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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The Tatoo helmet (that comes from the french 'tatou' which means armadillo) is made out of flexible (and recyclable!) interconnected polypropylene that unsnaps from itself and packs flat for storage.
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The issue doesn't arise, because of the inclusive/exclusive distinction between taaua and maaua, tatou and matou.
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EDENTATA, an armadillo, a sort of tatou, covered with a hard bony shell, in movable pieces, and measuring a foot and a half long.
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She herself rode a great deal at this time, but it was to hunting - and shooting-parties, from which she would return with her "bag" hanging from a sort of little pole fixed to her saddle; and I remember that one day she brought a strange beast that none of us ever saw in Brittany again, a species of armadillo (tatou) that her horse had trodden upon and killed.
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The Himene tatou Arearea of our Moorea expedition came from many windows, the accordions sweet and low, and the subdued chant in sympathy with the mellow hour.
Mystic Isles of the South Seas. Frederick O'Brien 1900
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'_A mate, a mate tatou_,' she moaned, 'e agi mai le manava Ieova.'
Rídan The Devil And Other Stories 1899 Louis Becke 1884
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Oe and tana are never used now in place of the plural outou and tatou; but in old folk-lore it is the classical style of addressing the gods in the collective sense.
Modern Mythology Andrew Lang 1878
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Robert had killed a curious animal belonging to the order Edentata, an armadillo, a sort of tatou, covered with a hard bony shell, in movable pieces, and measuring a foot and a half long.
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Perhaps the _tatou_ had run against the legs of one, and scraped it with the sharp edge of his corslet.
Popular Adventure Tales Mayne Reid 1850
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Perhaps the _tatou_ had run against the legs of one, and scraped it with the sharp edge of his corslet.
The Forest Exiles The Perils of a Peruvian Family in the Wilds of the Amazon Mayne Reid 1850
sionnach commented on the word tatou
What Weirdnet is trying to say, in its own peculiar way, is armadillo.
February 4, 2008
ruzuzu commented on the word tatou
"It is noted for its burrowing powers, feeds largely upon dead animals, and sometimes invades human graves."
--from the Webster's 1913
January 8, 2011