Adjacent Words

anteater definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: toothless mammal of southern Africa and Asia having a body covered with horny scales and a long snout for feeding on ants and termites [syn: pangolin, scaly anteater, anteater]
2: any of several tropical American mammals of the family Myrmecophagidae which lack teeth and feed on ants and termites [syn: anteater, New World anteater]
3: nocturnal burrowing mammal of the grasslands of Africa that feeds on termites; sole extant representative of the order Tubulidentata [syn: aardvark, ant bear, anteater, Orycteropus afer]
4: small Australian marsupial having long snout and strong claws for feeding on termites; nearly extinct [syn: numbat, banded anteater, anteater, Myrmecobius fasciatus]
5: a burrowing monotreme mammal covered with spines and having a long snout and claws for hunting ants and termites; native to New Guinea [syn: echidna, spiny anteater, anteater]
6: a burrowing monotreme mammal covered with spines and having a long snout and claws for hunting ants and termites; native to Australia [syn: echidna, spiny anteater, anteater]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1764 any of several mammals that feed largely or entirely on ants or termites: as a. any of a family (Myrmecophagidae) of New World edentates with a long narrow snout, a long tongue, and large salivary glands that includes the giant anteater and tamandua b. pangolin c. echidna d. aardvark

Britannica Concise

Any of four species of toothless, insect-eating placental mammals. Found in tropical savannas and forests from Mexico to N Argentina and Uruguay, anteaters have a long tail, dense fur, a long skull, and a tubular muzzle. Their mouth opening is small, and the tongue is long and wormlike. They live alone or in pairs and feed mainly on ants and termites, which they obtain by inserting their sticky tongue into a nest torn open by the long, sharp, curved claws of their forefeet. The species range in length from 15 in. (37 cm) to 6 ft (1.8 m). Once grouped together, anteaters are now considered as separate from echidnas and pangolins.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. any of various mammals feeding on ants and termites, e.g. a tamandua.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

also ant-eater(anteaters) An anteater is an animal with a long nose that eats termites or ants. Anteaters live in warm countries. N-COUNT