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echidna
(ē kid′nə)
noun
any of a family (Tachyglossidae) of small, toothless Australasian monotremes with a long, tapering snout and a sticky, extensible tongue; spiny anteater
Origin: ModL < L, adder, viper < Gr, ult. < IE base *eĝhi-, snake > Ger egel, leech
See echidna in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
Either of two nocturnal, burrowing, egg-laying mammals of the genera Tachyglossus and Zaglossus of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, having a spiny coat, slender snout, and an extensible sticky tongue used for catching insects. Also called spiny anteater.
Origin:
Origin: Latin, adder, viper
Origin: , from Greek ekhidna
Origin: , from ekhis
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