aardvark (redirected from African ant bear)

aard·vark  (ärdvärk)

n.

A burrowing mammal (Orycteropus afer) of southern Africa, having a stocky, hairy body, large ears, a long tubular snout, and powerful digging claws.

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[Obsolete Afrikaans : aarde, earth (from Middle Dutch aerde; see er-² in Indo-European roots) + vark, pig (from Middle Dutch varken; see porko- in Indo-European roots).]

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aardvark

Noun

a S African anteater with long ears and snout [obsolete Afrikaans: earth pig]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

aardvark - nocturnal burrowing mammal of the grasslands of Africa that feeds on termites; sole extant representative of the order Tubulidentata Orycteropus afer, ant bear, anteater eutherian, eutherian mammal, placental, placental mammal - mammals having a placenta; all mammals except monotremes and marsupials genus Orycteropus, Orycteropus - coextensive with the family Orycteropodidae