aardwolf

aard·wolf  (ärdwlf)

n.

A mammal (Proteles cristatus) native to southern and eastern Africa that resembles the hyena, has gray fur with black stripes, and feeds mainly on termites and insect larvae.

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[Afrikaans : aarde, earth (from Middle Dutch aerde; see er-² in Indo-European roots) + wolf, wolf (from Middle Dutch; see wk^wo- in Indo-European roots).]

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aardwolf [ˈɑːdˌwʊlf]

n pl -wolves

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) a nocturnal mammal, Proteles cristatus, that inhabits the plains of southern Africa and feeds on termites and insect larvae: family Hyaenidae (hyenas), order Carnivora (carnivores)

[from Afrikaans, from aarde earth + wolf wolf]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

aardwolf - striped hyena of southeast Africa that feeds chiefly on insects Proteles cristata hyaena, hyena - doglike nocturnal mammal of Africa and southern Asia that feeds chiefly on carrion genus Proteles, Proteles - aardwolf