urchin
- a mischievous boy.
- any small boy or youngster.
- sea urchin.
- either of two small rollers covered with card clothing used in conjunction with the cylinder in carding.
- Chiefly British Dialect. a hedgehog.
- Obsolete. an elf or mischievous sprite.
Origin of urchin
Synonyms
See more synonyms for urchin on Thesaurus.comExamples from the Web for urchin
Contemporary Examples
Despite enjoying singing, and a tiny role as ‘Urchin No. 30’ in a production of Oliver!
Historical Examples
The urchin looked proudly up in his face, but made no reply.
The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper
"They've stopped to take a drink, you can go your money on it," said the urchin.
The DownfallEmile Zola
All at once the urchin came to a halt and planted himself in front of Henriette.
The DownfallEmile Zola
First Urchin (to Captain who has just bought a new motor-horn).
So ended the Urchin's first introduction to a university education.
PipefulsChristopher Morley
urchin
- a mischievous roguish child, esp one who is young, small, or raggedly dressed
- See sea urchin, heart urchin
- an archaic or dialect name for a hedgehog
- either of the two cylinders in a carding machine that are covered with carding cloth
- obsolete an elf or sprite
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for urchin
n.
late 13c., yrichon "hedgehog," from Old North French *irechon (cf. Picard irechon, Walloon ireson, Hainaut hirchon), from Old French herichun "hedgehog" (Modern French hérisson), formed with diminutive suffix -on + Vulgar Latin *hericionem, from Latin ericius "hedgehog," from PIE root *gher- "to bristle" (cf. Greek kheros "hedgehog;" see horror).
Still used for "hedgehog" in non-standard speech in Cumbria, Yorkshire, Shropshire. Applied throughout 16c. to people whose appearance or behavior suggested hedgehogs, from hunchbacks (1520s) to goblins (1580s) to bad girls (c.1530); meaning "poorly or raggedly clothed youngster" emerged 1550s, but was not in frequent use until after c.1780. Sea urchin is recorded from 1590s (a 19c. Newfoundland name for them was whore's eggs).