aardvark

views updated

aard·vark / ˈärdˌvärk/ • n. a nocturnal burrowing African mammal (Orycteropus afer, family Orycteropidae) with long ears, a tubular snout, and a long extensible tongue, feeding on ants and termites.ORIGIN: late 18th cent.: from South African Dutch, from aarde ‘earth’ + vark ‘pig.’

More From encyclopedia.com