View synonyms for

aardvark

[ahrd-vahrk]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a large, nocturnal, burrowing mammal, Orycteropus afer, of central and southern Africa, feeding on ants and termites and having a long, extensile tongue, strong claws, and long ears.

aardvark

/ ˈɑː��ˌ��ɑː�� /

noun

Also called: ant bear.��a nocturnal mammal, Orycteropus afer, the sole member of its family ( Orycteropodidae ) and order ( Tubulidentata ). It inhabits the grasslands of Africa, has long ears and snout, and feeds on termites

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Word History and Origins

Origin of aardvark¹

First recorded in 1825–35; from Afrikaans erdvark, from Dutch aardvarken, equivalent to aarde “earth” + varken ‼��”; earth, farrow ¹

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Word History and Origins

Origin of aardvark¹

C19: from obsolete Afrikaans, from aarde earth + varken pig

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The show's bespectacled title character is a gentle 8-year-old aardvark who spreads the joy of getting along with others.

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Those factors led Epps to undertake the first study of the genetics of aardvarks in the wild and to develop noninvasive methods to do so.

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The changes provided a foundation for later adaptations to feed on plants and larger animals; over time these pioneers became the Mesozoic equivalents of otters, raccoons, flying squirrels and aardvarks.

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That was different from some of the other offers he’d received to bring his popular aardvark character to TV.

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Researchers compared the genomes of these mammals with those of a diverse assortment of others, including an aardvark, a meerkat, a star-nosed mole and a human.

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Aarau aardwolf

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