Where does “食蟻獣” come from?

食蟻獣 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 蟻, from Japanese の, from Old Japanese の, from Middle Chinese 能 — talent, ability.

食蟻獣 (Japanese): Alternative spelling of 蟻食

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of 蟻食

Ancestry of “食蟻獣”, step by step

食蟻獣 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 蟻

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese蟻ant; an ant, particularly one without wings; an...
2Japaneseのgenitive case marker; nominative case marker in a...
3Old Japaneseのplain, field
4Middle Chinese能talent, ability

via Japanese 獣

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese獣an animal covered in fur, a beast; a beast; beast
2Middle Chinese獸beast

via Japanese 食

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese食food; grain; a meal
2Middle Chinese食—
Every word from Middle Chinese 能 →Every word from Old Japanese の →Every word from Japanese の →