aardwolf, noun
/ˈɑː(r)tvɔlf/, /ˈɑːdwʊlf/
- Forms:
- Also aarde-wolf, and with initial capital.
- Origin:
- South African Dutch, Dutch, AfrikaansShow more South African Dutch, from Dutch aarde earth + wolf wolf. (The modern Afrikaans form is erdwolf.)
The hyaena-like mammal Proteles cristatus of the Protelidae, which feeds mainly on insects; maanhaar jackal, see maanhaar. Cf. wolf noun1.
1833 Penny Cyclopaedia I. 4The genus proteles contains but a single species, the Aard-wolf, or earth-wolf (Proteles cristata), so called by the European colonists in the neighbourhood of Algoa Bay, in South Africa...The size of the aard-wolf is about that of a full-grown fox.
1988 Grocott’s Mail 29 Jan. 3The aardwolf is a particularly interesting carnivore, not only because it feeds almost exclusively on termites but also because, throughout its African distribution, it feeds primarily on termites of the genus Trinervitermes.
The hyaena-like mammal Proteles cristatus of the Protelidae, which feeds mainly on insects; maanhaar jackal, see maanhaar.
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