aardvark
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: aard-vark
Alternative forms
Etymology
Borrowed from Afrikaans aardvark (obsolete), erdvark, from aarde (“earth”, from Middle Dutch aerde) + vark (“pig”, from Middle Dutch varken). Early European colonists in South Africa noticed that the animal was similar to a pig, while aarde hints at the animal's habit of burrowing.
Pronunciation
Noun
aardvark (plural aardvarks)
- The nocturnal, insectivorous, burrowing, mammal Orycteropus afer, of the order Tubulidentata, somewhat resembling a pig, common in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa. [from late 18th c.]
- Synonyms: African anteater, antbear, ant bear, anteater, earth pig
- The aardvark burrows in the ground and feeds mostly on termites, which it catches with its long, slimy tongue.
- 2007 August 15, Wayne A. Davis, “Replies to Green, Szabó, Jeshion, and Siebel”, in Philosophical Studies, volume 137, number 3, :
- If ‘aardvark lover’ has that syntactic structure, then it determinately means “lover of aardvarks.
Derived terms
Translations
mammal
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References
Aard-vark in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)- Jonathan E. Lighter, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Volume I, A-G. Random House USA, 1994. →ISBN. page 1.
Etymology
From Dutch aardvarken, from aarde (“earth, soil”) + varken (“pig”).
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Noun
aardvark (plural aardvarke)
- Alternative form of erdvark
Descendants
- → English: aardvark
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
aardvark m (plural aardvarks)
- aardvark (mammal)
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:orictéropo
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