urchin

[ ur-chin ]

noun

1. a mischievous boy.

   Synonyms: scamp, rascal

2. any small boy or youngster.
3. sea urchin.
4. either of two small rollers covered with card clothing used in conjunction with the cylinder in carding.
5. Chiefly British Dialect. a hedgehog.
6. Obsolete. an elf or mischievous sprite.

urchin

/ ˈɜːtʃɪn /

noun

1. a mischievous roguish child, esp one who is young, small, or raggedly dressed
2. See heart urchin, sea urchin
   See sea urchin heart urchin
3. See hedgehog
   an archaic or dialect name for a hedgehog
4. either of the two cylinders in a carding machine that are covered with carding cloth
5. obsolete.
   an elf or sprite

Word History and Origins

Origin of urchin¹

1300–50; Middle English urchun, urchon hedgehog < Old North French ( h ) erichon, Old French heriçun < Vulgar Latin *hēriciōn- (stem of *hēriciō ), equivalent to Latin ēric ( ius ) hedgehog + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of urchin¹

C13: urchon , from Old French heriçon, from Latin ēricius hedgehog, from ēr, related to Greek khēr hedgehog

Example Sentences

Clements and his colleagues realized no one had ever described this urchin behavior.

From Science News For Students

Normally, otters would eat enough of them to keep populations of kelp-eating urchins from growing out of control.

From Science News For Students

Even the urchins are plumper and healthier — a reminder that all life depends on diversity.

From Washington Post

The nutrient-rich urchins in the healthy kelp make a far better sea otter snack.

From Science News

The latest offering is The Irregulars, a new supernatural drama from Netflix, that focuses on the ragtag group of street urchins the Baker Street sleuth often relied upon to gather useful information.

From Ars Technica

Despite enjoying singing, and a tiny role as ‘Urchin No. 30’ in a production of Oliver!

From The Daily Beast

I had everything from raw hamachi with sea urchin to lamb tongue.

From The Daily Beast

So saying the lively urchin grasped his new friend by the hand and led him by a rickety staircase to the “rookeries” above.

From Project Gutenberg

Amy actually almost fell out of the window again, and stuck out her tongue like an impudent urchin.

From Project Gutenberg

The spell was broken, and Mr. Carr took out his watch as he turned his eyes on a ragged urchin who had called to him from below.

From Project Gutenberg

This led to the discovery that the young urchin had been on a most successful forage for a dinner that morning.

From Project Gutenberg

Katie said this with a still darker frown; for she thought that the urchin was jesting.

From Project Gutenberg