Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

aardwolf

/ˈɑɹdˌwʊlf/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.11 in modern English

Syllables
aard-wolf
IPA
/ˈɑɹdˌwʊlf/
15
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

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.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁er-der. Proto-Germanic *erþō Proto-West Germanic *erþu Old Dutch ertha Middle Dutch āerde Dutch aarde Afrikaans aarde Proto-Indo-European *wl̥kʷós? Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos Proto-Germanic *wulfaz Proto-West Germanic *wulf Old Dutch *wulf Middle Dutch wolf Dutch wolf Afrikaans wolf Afrikaans aardwolfbor. Dutch aardwolfbor. English 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).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *h₁er-, aardwolf, *wĺ̥kʷos

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɑɹdˌwʊlf/
  • British English: /ˈɑːdwʊlf/

Inflected Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

civet hyena earthwolf maanhaar maanhaar-jackal termite-eating hyena proteles cristata

Questions

How do you pronounce aardwolf?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɑɹdˌwʊlf/.
What does aardwolf mean?
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.
Where does aardwolf come from?
It is traced to Dutch.

How to pronounce aardwolf

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “aardwolf”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɑɹdˌwʊlf/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “aardwolf”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “aardwolf” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.