aardvark

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: aard=vark

CIDE DICTIONARY

aardvark, n. [D., earth-pig.].

 An edentate mammal, of the genus Orycteropus (Orycteropus afer), somewhat resembling a pig, common in some parts of Southern Africa. It is a nocturnal ungulate, burrows in the ground with its powerful claws, and feeds entirely on ants and termites, which it catches with its long, extensile, slimy tongue. It is the sole extant representative of the order Tubulidentata.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

aardvark, n. a nocturnal mammal of southern Africa, Orycteropus afer, with a tubular snout and a long extendible tongue, that feeds on termites. Also called ant-bear, earth-hog.

Etymology

Afrik. f. aarde earth + vark pig