aardwolf
UK /ˈɑːdwʊlf/ · US /ˈɑɹdˌwʊlf/ noun
Forms aardwolves aardwolfs aard-wolf
- noun A nocturnal, insectivorous mammal (Proteles cristatus), having yellowish fur with vertical black stripes, and a long mane down the midline of the neck and back; it is related to and resembles the hyena, and is native to eastern and southern Africa.
Synonyms
civet hyena earthwolf maanhaar maanhaar-jackal termite-eating hyena Proteles cristata
Etymology
Borrowed from South African Dutch aardwolf (whence Afrikaans aardwolf), from aard- (prefix meaning ‘earth’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁er- (“earth”), probably from the fact that the animal rests in burrows in the ground during the day) + wolf (“wolf”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos (“wolf”)), influenced by English wolf (the second element of aardwolf is pronounced like that word, and one plural form is aardwolves; the Dutch plural form is aardwolven).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “aardwolf”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details