Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Orycteropus

noun
Oryc·​ter·​o·​pus | \əˌrikˈterəpəs, ˌōrˌi-\

Definition of Orycteropus 

: a genus (coextensive with the family Orycteropodidae and sole recent representative of the order Tubulidentata) that comprises the aardvarks

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

History and Etymology for Orycteropus

New Latin, from Greek oryktēr miner (from oryssein, orychein to dig) + New Latin -pus

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about Orycteropus

Share Orycteropus

Dictionary Entries near Orycteropus

or what

-ory

oryct-

Orycteropus

oryctognostic

oryctognosy

Oryctolagus

Statistics for Orycteropus

Look-up Popularity

Comments on Orycteropus

What made you want to look up Orycteropus? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

millefleur

having a pattern of small flowers

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Find the Cousins

  • a-large-tree-with-many-branches
  • Which pair shares a common word ancestor?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games