porcupine

American

[pawr-kyuh-pahyn] / ˈpɔr kyəˌpaɪn /

noun

any of several rodents covered with stiff, sharp, erectile spines or quills, as Erethizon dorsatum of North America.

porcupine British

/ ˈpɔːkjʊˌpaɪn /

noun

any of various large hystricomorph rodents of the families Hystricidae, of Africa, Indonesia, S Europe, and S Asia, and Erethizontidae, of the New World. All species have a body covering of protective spines or quills

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

porcupinish adjective
porcupiny adjective

Etymology

Origin of porcupine

1375–1425; late Middle English porcupyne, variant of porcapyne; replacing porke despyne < Middle French porc d'espine thorny pig. See pork, spine

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A bloodied but determined honey badger pursues a Cape porcupine in Botswana.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2025

DNA evidence suggests North America's sole porcupine belongs to a group that originated 10 million years ago, but fossils seem to tell a different story.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2024

There are 16 porcupine species in Central and South America, but only one in the United States and Canada.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2024

Whether you’re a pedestrian or a porcupine, you live in the thrall of roads.

From Slate • May 25, 2024

“I’ll need your help if I ever have more porcupine trouble!”

From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023