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Erdmännchen
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
German
Etymology
From de Erde earth, ground Männchen little man. The original sense is that of a gnome, though the word was also used metaphorically or jocularly for animals in some dialects, e.g. for the mole. The use for “meerkat” has only become established in scientific use since the 1960s, but is older in Namibian German, where it also referred to the similar-looking Cape ground squirrel (Xerus inauris species). Plausibly from de af erdmannetjie, which is equally used (informally) for these two species.
Pronunciation
de /ˈeːrtˌmɛn.çən/ [ˈʔeːɐ̯tˌmɛn.çən] [ˈʔɛɐ̯t-] [-çn̩] [-çɪn]
de De-Erdmännchen.ogg <<Germany>> (<<Berlin>>)
Noun
n
de zoology meerkat (Suricata suricatta species)
de Surikate Scharrtier at least the latter archaic
de mythology dated a gnome or dwarf that lives under the earth
de Erdgeist Heinzelmännchen Wichtel Zwerg
Declension
n
Further reading
de Herpestids