aardvarken

Dutch

Etymology

First attested in 1719. Compound of aarde +‎ varken.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈaːrtˌfɑr.kə(n)/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: aard‧var‧ken

Noun

aardvarken n (plural aardvarkens, diminutive aardvarkentje n)

  1. (originally South Africa) aardvark (Orycteropus afer)
    • 1719, Peter Kolbe, Caput bonae spei hodiernum. Das ist: Vollständige Beschreibung des africanischen Vorgebürges der Guten Hofnung (in German), Nuremberg, page 165:
      Die Erd-Schweine aber, oder wie sie von den Holländern genennet werden d’ Aardvarckens, sehen den Europäischen Schweinen an den Borsten gleich [...].
      The earth pigs, however, or as the Dutch call them: the aardvarckens, look the same as the European pigs in terms of their bristles [...].

Descendants

  • Afrikaans: aardvark
    • → English: aardvark
  • → German: Erdferkel (calque)

Further reading

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