porcupine

American  

[pawr-kyuh-pahyn] / ˈpɔr kjəˌpaɪn /

noun

• porcupines
  plural

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

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porcupine British  

/ ˈpɔːkjʊˌpaɪn /

noun

1. 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• porcupinish
  adjective
• porcupiny
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• porcupines
  plural

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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

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Explanation

A porcupine is a prickly rodent, a round forest animal that's covered in sharp, protective quills. How do you pet a porcupine? Very, very carefully. Porcupine comes from Latin roots, porcus, "pig," and spina, "spine or quill." Fittingly, a regional name for the porcupine is "quill pig." The porcupine is famous for its spines, which become spikier when it's afraid or angry. Less well known is the fact that porcupines also clatter their teeth loudly as a warning — all the more reason for your dog to feel embarrassed after she ends up with a nose full of porcupine quills.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

porcupine porcupines

Rick: The hotel pretty much just got the porcupine and left.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026

The hollow spikes may have served as a defensive adaptation, functioning in a way similar to the quills of a porcupine by discouraging predators from attacking.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 18, 2026

According to reports at the time there were some clues, including the discovery of straw bedding with porcupine quills in it.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2025

BBC Scotland News understands bedding was discovered with porcupine quills in the straw.

From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2025

“If you had not attacked the porcupine, you would not have quills in your face.”

From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown

A man who lives in a log cabin and keeps wallabies, mongooses, porcupines, parrots and other rare birds has been told to move.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

They lack the adorable charisma of chinchillas, porcupines, moles or rats, though.

From Salon ● May 11, 2025

It is unclear whether bamboo rats or Malayan porcupines can be infected with SARS-CoV-2, the study authors wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2024

Other animals identified as a potential source of the pandemic were the masked palm civet, which was also associated with the Sars outbreak in 2003, as well as hoary bamboo rats and Malayan porcupines.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2024

"Nor do we. Not real tails," the porcupines said.

From "Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust" by Eve Bunting

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