aardvark (Afrikaans)
Where does "aardvark" come from?
The word aardvark comes directly from the Afrikaans borrowing of the Dutch 'aardvarken,' meaning literally 'earth-pig.' This compound combines the ancient Germanic roots for earth, tracing back to Proto-Indo-European '*h₁er-', and the word for pig, which descends from a root for a digging animal. It is a fitting name for the animal, as this unique creature is well-known for its burrowing habits.
Full etymology tree
- aardvark (Afrikaans), 'alternative form of erdvark'
- inherited aardvarken (Dutch), 'aardvark (Orycteropus afer)'
- compound aarde (Dutch), 'earth, soil, ground'
- inherited āerde (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)
- inherited *erþō (Proto-Germanic), 'earth'
- inherited *erþu (Proto-West Germanic), 'earth, world'
- inherited ertha (Old Dutch), 'earth'
- inherited āerde (Middle Dutch), 'alternative form of erde'
- compound varken (Dutch), 'pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)'
- inherited varken (Middle Dutch)
- inherited farkīn (Old Dutch)
- inherited *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.'
- inherited *pórḱos (Proto-Indo-European), 'piglet'
- inherited *farhaz (Proto-Germanic), 'pig, piglet'
- inherited farkīn (Old Dutch)
- inherited varken (Middle Dutch)
- compound aarde (Dutch), 'earth, soil, ground'
- inherited aardvarken (Dutch), 'aardvark (Orycteropus afer)'
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris