anteaters
|an-tee-ters|
🇺🇸
/ˈæntiːtər/
🇬🇧
/ˈæntiːtə/
(anteater)
animal that eats ants
Etymology
'anteater' originates from English, specifically the compound of the words 'ant' and 'eater', where 'ant' referred to the insect 'ant' and 'eater' comes from Old English 'etan' meaning 'to eat'.
'anteater' developed from the earlier English compound form 'ant-eater' and eventually became the single-word modern English form 'anteater'.
Initially, it meant 'an animal that eats ants' and this core meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a mammal (or any of several species) that feeds mainly on ants and termites, characterized by a long snout and a sticky tongue (family examples include Myrmecophagidae and related groups).
Anteaters use their long, sticky tongues to capture ants and termites.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/21 05:08