porcupine
por·cu·pinenoun
pl. -·pines· or -·pine· any of a terrestrial Old World family (Hystricidae) or an arboreal New World family (Erethizontidae) of rodents, having coarse hair mixed with long, stiff, sharp spines that can be erected
Origin of porcupine
Middle English porkepyn from Middle French porc espin, spinous hog, spine hog from OIt porcospino from Classical Latin porcus, pig (see farrow) + spinePorcupine
river in N Yukon Territory, Canada, flowing into the Yukon River in NE Alas.: 590 mi (949 km)
porcupine
noun
Any of various rodents of the family Hystricidae, of Eurasia and Africa, or the family Erethizontidae, of the Americas, having long, sharp, erectile quills.
Origin of porcupine
Middle English porke despine from Old French porc espin ultimately ( perhaps via Old Italian porcospino ) from Vulgar Latin porcospīnus Latin porcus pig ; see porko- in Indo-European roots.Latin spīna thorn, spine ( probably translation of Late Greek akanthokhoiros hedgehog ) (Greek akantha thorn ) (Greek khoiros pig )
porcupine
North American porcupine
Erethizon dorsatum
porcupine
Noun
(plural porcupines)
- Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic families Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) or Erethizontidae (New World porcupines), noted for their sharp spines or quills, which are raised when the animal is attacked or surprised.
- Chaetomyinae
- Chaetomys
- Coendou
- echimyid
- Echimyidae
- Echinoprocta
- Erethizon
- erethizontid
- Erethizontinae
