Sowpills

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small terrestrial crustacean, also called a woodlouse, that curls into a ball when disturbed and lives under stones and logs
2. The name for a woodlouse, a segmented land-dwelling crustacean that rolls itself up when threatened and hides in damp places
3. A grey, armoured land crustacean commonly found beneath rotting wood or debris, known for curling into a tight ball for protection

Etymology: Sowpills is a dialect name, found mostly in the north of England and Scotland, for woodlice, the small grey crustaceans that roll into balls when disturbed. The word is a compound of "sow" and "pill," and both parts are older than the creature's name. "Sow" in this sense is the old English word for a female pig, and woodlice were long associated with the pig, perhaps because both root about in damp ground and both were common in farmyards. The "pill" element is the same word that gives "pillbug" in American English and points to the creature's habit of curling into a small ball, much like a pill. The name is a good example of how folk naming works. Speakers reached for familiar farm animals and everyday shapes to describe an unfamiliar little animal, so the same creature has many local names, including "slaters," "cheesies," and "woodlice" itself. The compound is recorded in regional dictionaries and in older glossaries of dialect words, though the exact dates of first use are uncertain.