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 sea urchin heart urchin

3. 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

Sunflower sea stars used to prey on the urchins, keeping them in check.

From Los Angeles Times

One of their most important roles is controlling purple sea urchin populations, a species with a notoriously voracious appetite.

From Los Angeles Times

She made her first film appearance at the age of 12 as an urchin in Alexander Korda's film The Thief of Baghdad in 1940.

From BBC

Massara, an Italian restaurant in New York City, even serves a cold pasta: a chilled spaghetti with red prawn and briny, decadent sea urchin.

From Salon

The tribalistic Bay Boys deserve sea urchin spikes jammed into their toes.

From Los Angeles Times