aardwolf

[ ahrd-woolf ]

noun,plural aard·wolves.
  1. a striped, hyenalike mammal, Proteles cristatus, of southern and eastern Africa, that feeds chiefly on insects.

Origin of aardwolf

1
1825–35; <Afrikaans erdwolf<Dutch aardwolf, equivalent to aardeearth + wolfwolf

Words Nearby aardwolf

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British Dictionary definitions for aardwolf

aardwolf

/ (ˈɑːdˌwʊlf) /


nounplural -wolves
  1. 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)

Origin of aardwolf

1
C19: from Afrikaans, from aarde earth + wolf wolf

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012