Tatu
/ˈtɑːtuː/noun
An armadillo, especially one of the larger South American species.
Did you know?Tatu entered European languages through Indigenous Tupi-Guarani terminology after Portuguese exploration of South America; it is not originally related to the tattooing word “tattoo.”
Etymological Timeline
Before the 16th Century
Old Tupi
ta'tu
“Armadillo; literally associated with a hard or thick shell”
16th Century
Portuguese
tatu
“Armadillo, borrowed from Indigenous South American speech”
16th–17th Century
Spanish
tatú
“Armadillo”
17th–18th Century
French
tatou
“Armadillo”
19th Century
English
tatu
“An armadillo, particularly a South American species”
Modern English
English
tatu
“A zoological name for an armadillo”