aardvark
See also: aard-vark
English
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Erdferkel-drawing.jpg/220px-Erdferkel-drawing.jpg)
Alternative forms
Etymology
Borrowed from Afrikaans aardvark (obsolete), erdvark, from aarde (“earth”), (from Dutch, 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
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Audio (US): (file)
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. [First attested in the late 18th c.]
- The aardvark burrows in the ground and feeds mostly on termites, which it catches with its long, slimy tongue.
- (slang, particularly in the southeast US) A silly or credulous person who is prone to mistakes or blunders.
- I walked into the wrong bathroom like a total aardvark.
Synonyms
Translations
mammal
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References
Afrikaans
Etymology
From Dutch aardvarken, from aarde (“earth, soil”) + varken (“pig”).
Noun
aardvark (plural aardvarke)
Portuguese
Noun
aardvark m (plural s)
- aardvark (mammal)
Synonyms
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from Afrikaans
- English terms derived from Afrikaans
- English terms derived from Dutch
- English terms derived from Middle Dutch
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English slang
- American English
- en:African insectivores
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Dutch
- Afrikaans lemmas
- Afrikaans nouns
- Afrikaans obsolete forms
- Portuguese lemmas
- Portuguese nouns
- Portuguese countable nouns
- Portuguese terms spelled with K
- Portuguese masculine nouns