aardwolf
Syllables: aard·wolf/ˈɑːdwʊlf//ˈɑɹdˌwʊlf/
aardwolf 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.
Noun
aardwolf (plural aardwolves or (rare) aardwolfs)
- 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.
- [page 79] The Committee of Science and Correspondence, having taken into consideration the request of the Council, that they should prepare a Report upon the Animals most desirable to be introduced into this country for the purposes of utility or exhibition, beg leave to submit a List of such...[1831 March 22 (date delivered), “Report of the Committee of Science and Correspondence to the Council”, in Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of...
- The size of the aard-wolf is about that of a full-grown fox, which it further resembles in its pointed muzzle; but it stands higher upon its legs, its ears are considerably larger and more naked, and its tail shorter and not so bushy. […] In its habits and manners the aard-wolf resembles the fox...1833, “AARD-WOLF”, in [George Long], editor, The Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, volumes I (A–Andes), London: Charles Knight and Co., […], →OCLC, pages 4–5
- Synonyms:
- civet hyena, earthwolf, maanhaar, maanhaar-jackal, termite-eating hyena
aardwolf meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Telugu
aardwolf in Hindi
- Proteles cristatus
- कीटभक्षी लकड़बग्घा kīṭbhakṣī lakaṛbagghā
aardwolf in Tamil
- கழுதைப்புலி வகைப் பூச்சி உண்ணி, இதுவும் ஒரு சிற்றினம் ஆகும், தென்னாப்பிரிக்காவில் காணப்படுகிறது
aardwolf in Urdu
- بھٹ بھيڑيا
aardwolf in Telugu
- Proteles cristatus
- ఆర్డ్వుల్ఫ్ ārḍvulph
More languagesFewer languages
- aardwolf in Arabic
- ذِئْب الأَرْض ḏiʔb al-ʔarḍ, عِسْبَار ʕisbār
- aardwolf in Malay
- serigala bumi
- aardwolf in Indonesian
- serigala bumi
- aardwolf in Persian
- گرگ خاکی gorg xâki
- aardwolf in Vietnamese
- chó sói đất
Examples of aardwolf in a sentence
- Aardwolfs are widespread, though seldom seen.2003, Mike Unwin, “Mammals”, in South African Wildlife: A Visitor’s Guide, Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire: Bradt Travel Guides...
- Hyenas evolved in Eurasia during the Miocene from ferret-like ancestors. […] Today the only dog-like hyena is Africa's termite-eating aardwolf.2018, Tim Flannery, “A Miocene Bestiary”, in Europe: The First 100 Million Years, London: Allen Lane, →ISBN, part II (Becoming...
Synonyms of aardwolf
- civet hyena
- earthwolf
- maanhaar
- maanhaar-jackal
- termite-eating hyena
Forms of aardwolf
| plural | aardwolves |
|---|---|
| alternative form | aard-wolf |
| plural (rare) | aardwolfs |
Origin of aardwolf
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).
Questions about aardwolf
- What does aardwolf mean?
- Aardwolf means 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.
- What is aardwolf in Hindi?
- Aardwolf in Hindi is कीटभक्षी लकड़बग्घा (kīṭbhakṣī lakaṛbagghā). See Aardwolf meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use aardwolf in a sentence?
- Aardwolfs are widespread, though seldom seen.
- What part of speech is aardwolf?
- Aardwolf is a noun.
- How do you pronounce aardwolf?
- Aardwolf is pronounced /ˈɑːdwʊlf/ (UK).
- What is the plural of aardwolf?
- The plural of aardwolf is aardwolves.
Words near aardwolf in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: aardwolf (page history and authors); aardwolf (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); aardwolf (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-aardwolf.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-aardwolf.wav.
Cite this entry: “aardwolf.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/aardwolf. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.