fourmilier

French

FWOTD – 13 March 2016

Etymology

From Italian formigaro. By surface analysis, fourmi (“ant”) +‎ -ier.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fuʁ.mi.lje/

Noun

fourmilier m (plural fourmiliers)

1. anteater
   • George Pouchet, Mémoires sur le Grand Fourmilier, Paris 1874, 68:

     On sait que la cavité buccale des Fourmiliers, malgré son orifice extrêmement étroit, atteint des dimensions considérables.

     It is known that the oral cavity of the anteaters, despite its extremely narrow orifice, reaches considerable extents.

2. any of a number of different species of ant-eating birds

Derived terms

• fourmilier à collier
• fourmilier géant
• fourmilier nain

Further reading

• “fourmilier”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.