anteater
1
5.3
- noun
- /ˈæntiˌtɚ/
- South African
:
aardvark
- An anteater's unique snout helps it detect insects beneath the soil.
Examples
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The anteater uses its long tongue to retrieve termites from underground tunnels.
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It's the African anteater ritual!
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An aardvark or an anteater.
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We thank our two exchange students from Lower Swahili, Charles Kibangi and Sandy Ubuki, for recreating the African anteater ritual... here on pBS African Cultural Hour.
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At the zoo, we saw an anteater happily munching on ants.
Synonyms
11
7.4
A large African animal that is active at night, digs burrows, and eats ants and termites
A mammal with a long snout and strong claws that digs burrows and eats termites at night
A mammal in Africa that is active at night and digs burrows to eat termites
Compounds
- Australian
A small Australian animal with a pouch, long snout, and strong claws that eats termites and is almost extinct
A small animal that eats ants and uses its tail to hold branches in Central and South American tropical forests
A large mammal from South America with a long tongue and claws that eats ants and termites
A large furry animal from South America with a long snout and tongue that eats ants
A small animal that lives in trees in Central and South America with long golden fur and no teeth
- Australian
A mammal that digs burrows, lays eggs, has sharp spines, and eats ants and termites
A small South American animal that eats ants, with long golden fur and two claws on each front foot
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Anteater is a simple compound of ant and eater, meaning 'one who eats ants', so the name was given to the African burrowing animal the aardvark that comes out at night to feed on ants and termites.