Anteaters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Mammals distinguished by their specialized physical traits, using their long snouts and tongues to consume ants and termites as their primary diet
2. Species known for their remarkable adaptations that enable them to forage for ants and termites, playing a vital role in controlling insect populations
3. Mammals characterized by their elongated snouts and sticky tongues designed for eating ants and termites

Etymology: "Anteaters" is the plural of "anteater", which is a compound of "ant" and "eater", the second word being the agent noun from "eat". The name describes the animal's diet directly: these mammals feed on ants, and the compound is one of the most transparent names in the animal kingdom. Because the word is so literal, its history adds little beyond its parts. Both components are native English, with "ant" descending from Old English and "eat" from the same ancient stock as the verb itself, so the word needs no foreign borrowing to explain it.

Synonyms: echidna, myrmecophagid