Illustration of aardvark
aardvark
noun
aard·vark ˈärd-ˌvärk 
: a large burrowing nocturnal mammal (Orycteropus afer) of sub-Saharan Africa that has a long snout, extensible tongue, powerful claws, large ears, and heavy tail and feeds especially on termites and ants
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Other than Arthur being from the fictional Elwood City, another dissimilarity between the aardvark and Arthur is their facial structures. 
Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 28 June 2022 Arthur is an aardvark, though there are differences between the actual animal and him. Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 28 June 2022 For the first time in over 35 years, a baby aardvark is padding around California's San Diego Zoo. Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 22 June 2022 The people behind the cartoon aardvark say goodbye. Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2022 Read more: The people behind everyone's favorite cartoon aardvark say goodbye. Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2022 Brown turns to a page that shows how to draw … an aardvark. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 22 Feb. 2022 The show premiered in 1996, and follows the adventures of an 8-year-old aardvark named Arthur Read along with his family and friends. Dan Heching, PEOPLE.com, 22 Feb. 2022 Based on a children’s book series by author Mark Brown, Arthur tells the story of Arthur Read, a talking aardvark who lives in Elwood City with his parents and younger sisters D.W. and Kate. Marisa Dellatto, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2022 See More
Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 28 June 2022 Arthur is an aardvark, though there are differences between the actual animal and him. Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 28 June 2022 For the first time in over 35 years, a baby aardvark is padding around California's San Diego Zoo. Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 22 June 2022 The people behind the cartoon aardvark say goodbye. Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2022 Read more: The people behind everyone's favorite cartoon aardvark say goodbye. Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2022 Brown turns to a page that shows how to draw … an aardvark. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 22 Feb. 2022 The show premiered in 1996, and follows the adventures of an 8-year-old aardvark named Arthur Read along with his family and friends. Dan Heching, PEOPLE.com, 22 Feb. 2022 Based on a children’s book series by author Mark Brown, Arthur tells the story of Arthur Read, a talking aardvark who lives in Elwood City with his parents and younger sisters D.W. and Kate. Marisa Dellatto, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from early Afrikaans aardvarken (modern erdvark), from aarde "earth" + vark "hog"; akin to Old English eorthe "earth" and to Old English fearh "young pig" — more at earth entry 1, farrow entry 1
Note: Current Afrikaans erdvark, as against early aardvarken, aardvark (with Afrikaans loss of the Dutch final syllable), reflects early competition in Afrikaans between standard Dutch aarde and the North/South Holland form erd(e) (with lengthened [e] or [ε]); as a simplex Afrikaans retains both with different senses: erd, "earth, clay," aarde "earth (the planet)."
First Known Use
1822, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
aardvark
noun
aard·vark ˈärd-ˌvärk
: an African animal with a long snout and a long sticky tongue that feeds mostly on ants and termites and is active at night