aardvark

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈɑːdˌvɑːk/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈɑrdˌvɑrk/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(ärd′värk′)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
aard•vark /ˈɑrdˌvɑrk/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Mammalsa large African mammal having a piglike snout and long sticky tongue for feeding on ants and termites.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
aard•vark  (ärd′värk′),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Mammalsa 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.
  • Dutch aardvarken, equivalent. to aarde earth + varken pig; see farrow1
  • Afrikaans erdvark
  • 1825–35

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
aardvark / ˈɑːdˌvɑːk/
  1. a nocturnal mammal, Orycteropus afer, the sole member of its family (Orycteropodidae) and order (Tubulidentata). It inhabits the grasslands of Africa, has a long snout, and feeds on termites
    Also called: ant bear
Etymology: 19th Century: from obsolete Afrikaans, from aarde earth + varken pig
'aardvark' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
ant bear - anteater - boschvark

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