English
aardwolf
Aardwolf comes from Dutch aardwolf, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁er- ‘earth’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁er-‘earth’root as named · steps between not traced
- Dutchc. 1500–presentaardwolf
- Englishearliest quotation 1833same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁er-‘earth’root as named · steps between not traced
- Dutchc. 1500–presentaardwolf
- Englishearliest quotation 1833same form
Earliest quotation: 1833, AARD-WOLF: “The size of the aard-wolf is about that of…”
The story
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).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos ‘wolf’
lupus, lupin, lobo, loafer, 11 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁er- ‘earth’
Today it means
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.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁er- / aardwolf