porcupine
Hystrix indica
Meaning
Noun
- Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic families Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) or Erethizontidae (New World porcupines), both from the infraorder Hystricognathi, noted for their sharp spines or quills, which are raised when the animal is attacked or surprised.
Related
Similar words
Narrower meaning words
Origin
- From Middle English porke despyne, from Old French porc-espin, from Latin porcus ("pig") + spinus, hence also spine pig. Cognate with Spanish puercoespín, Italian porcospino.
Modern English dictionary
Explore and search massive catalog of over 900,000 word meanings.
Word of the Day
Get a curated memorable word every day.
Challenge yourself
Level up your vocabulary by setting personal goals.
And much more
Try out Vedaist now.