woodlouse
/ˈwʊdˌlaʊs/ noun
Forms woodlice
- noun Any of various small terrestrial isopod crustaceans of suborder Oniscidea, having a rigid segmented exoskeleton, usually feeding on dead plant matter and living in damp, dark places, such as under stones or bark. Several common species roll into a ball when disturbed, hence names such as pill bug and roly-poly.
Synonyms
armadillo bug butcher boy cheese-bug cheesybug cheeselog chiggypig chucky pig doodlebug grammersow lobster lug monkey pea pill bug rolly polly roly-poly roly poly sowbug sowpig slater oniscid oniscidean
Etymology
From wood + louse.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “woodlouse”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details