echidna

[ ih-kid-nuh ]

noun

1. Also called spiny anteater. any of several insectivorous monotremes of the genera Tachyglossus, of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, and Zaglossus, of New Guinea, that have claws and a slender snout and are covered with coarse hair and long spines.

echidna

/ ɪˈkɪdnə /

noun

1. any of the spine-covered monotreme mammals of the genera Tachyglossus of Australia and Zaglossus of New Guinea: family Tachyglossidae. They have a long snout and claws for hunting ants and termites Also calledspiny anteater

Word History and Origins

Origin of echidna¹

< New Latin (1798), originally a genus name; Latin: serpent, Echidna a mythical creature which gave birth to the Hydra and other monsters < Greek échidna, akin to échis viper

Word History and Origins

Origin of echidna¹

C19: from New Latin, from Latin: viper, from Greek ekhidna

Example Sentences

In the same way a peculiar form of covering occurs in Echidna and the hedgehog.

From Project Gutenberg

Compare feathered heads in very different birds with spines in Echidna and Hedgehog.

From Project Gutenberg

With the exception of the atlas of Echidna the cervical vertebrae are without zygapophyses.

From Project Gutenberg

In the hedgehogs, porcupines and Echidna certain of the hairs are modified and greatly enlarged, forming stiff spines.

From Project Gutenberg

In Echidna the face is drawn out into a gradually tapering rostrum, formed mainly by the premaxillae, maxillae and nasals.

From Project Gutenberg