aardvark (Afrikaans)

Where does "aardvark" come from?

The word 'aardvark' comes to Afrikaans from the Dutch 'aardvarken'[1], which was first attested in 1719[4]. This Dutch word is a compound formed from 'aarde', meaning 'earth, soil', and 'varken', meaning 'pig'[1]. The root 'aarde' traces back through Middle Dutch 'āerde' and Old Dutch 'ertha' to Proto-Germanic '*erþō' and ultimately the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₁érteh₂'[2][5]. Meanwhile, 'varken' descends from Middle Dutch forms and an old diminutive of Proto-Germanic '*farhaz'[3], which itself derives from the Proto-Indo-European '*pórḱos' meaning 'digger'[7][10].

Open questions

The Proto-Indo-European root '*h₁érteh₂' is a reconstructed form. [5]
The Proto-Germanic forms '*erþō' and '*farhaz' are reconstructed forms. [5] [7]
The Proto-Indo-European root '*pórḱos' is a reconstructed form. [10]

Full etymology tree

aardvark (Afrikaans), 'alternative form of erdvark'
- borrowed aardvarken (Dutch), 'aardvark (Orycteropus afer)'
  - compound aarde (Dutch), 'earth, soil, ground'
    - inherited aerde (Middle Dutch), 'alternative form of erde'
      - inherited ertha (Old Dutch), 'earth'
        inherited *erþu (Proto-West Germanic), 'earth, world'
        inherited *erþō (Proto-Germanic), 'earth'
        inherited *h₁érteh₂ (Proto-Indo-European)
  - compound varken (Dutch), 'pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)'
    - inherited varken (Middle Dutch)
      - inherited farkīn (Old Dutch)
        derived *farhaz (Proto-Germanic), 'pig, piglet'
        inherited *pórḱos (Proto-Indo-European), 'piglet'
        derived *perḱ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'colored'
        suffix *-os (Proto-Indo-European), 'Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs.'
        suffix *-ukīn (Proto-Germanic)

Ancestors

aardvarken (Dutch)
aarde (Dutch)
varken (Dutch)

Descendants and derived words

aardvark (English)

Sources

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris