-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
wood louse
noun
: a terrestrial isopod crustacean (suborder Oniscoidea) with a flattened elliptical body often capable of being rolled into a ball
called also pill bug, sow bug
Examples of wood louse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bunky would probably have loved to eat a wood louse.
—Anne Fadiman, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Feb. 2023
Widder thinks the fish were searching for giant isopods—ocean crustaceans that look something like a massive terrestrial wood louse (more commonly known as pillbugs or rolly pollies).
—Ferris Jabr, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2010
In the case of one particular 429-million-year-old trilobite—an extinct arthropod that looked like a big version of a wood louse—a crack in just the right place has allowed paleontologists to see the world through the creature’s eyes.
—Riley Black, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Word History
First Known Use
1611, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near wood louse
Cite this Entry
“Wood louse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wood%20louse. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
wood louse
noun
: a small flat grayish crustacean that is an isopod, lives in damp places (as under stones, fallen leaves, and rotting logs), and is often capable of rolling its body into a ball
called also pill bug, sow bug
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share