Dictionary

echidna en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• ĕkĭdnä
• /əˈkɪdnə/

Etymology

Coined in scientific literature around 1811. Probably from Ancient Greek ἔχιδνα (ékhidna, “snake, viper”) via Latin echidna. Compare ἐχῖνος (ekhînos, “hedgehog, etc.”). However, this sense is problematic (unless it is a reference to the ant-eating tongue). The name perhaps belongs to Latin echinus (“sea urchin, hedgehog”) from the aforementioned Ancient Greek term's alternate sense of "sea-urchin" (also "sharp points"), which Watkins explains as "snake-eater", from ἔχις (ékhis, “snake”), though it may actually be from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰis (“hedgehog, hedgehog-like animals”). The 1810 Encyclopaedia Britannica deduces thus the animal's alternative name as "porcupine ant-eater". Alternatively, and perhaps more likely, the name refers to Echidna as the name of a serpent-nymph in Greek mythology, "a beautiful woman in the upper part of her body; but instead of legs and feet, she had from the waist downward, the form of a serpent", in which case the animal was named for its mixed features (early naturalists doubted whether it was a mammal or amphibian). Ultimately, the etymology may be from a synthesis of all the roots above. (From OED.)

Meanings

1. Any of the small spined monotremes in the family Tachyglossidae, the four extant species of which are found in Australia and southern New Guinea.

Forms

Deriveds

short-beaked echidna · western long-beaked echidna · Attenborough's long-beaked echidna · Barton's long-beaked echidna · echidnine · eastern long-beaked echidna · Sir David's long-beaked echidna · cyclops long-beaked echidna · short-beaked echidna · long-beaked echidna

Relateds

puggle · Zaglossus · Tachyglossus · Piggi-Billa · Tachyglossidae

Synonyms

bunning (species of Tachyglossidae) · spiny anteater (species of Tachyglossidae) · tachyglossid (species of Tachyglossidae)

Translations (89)

ko 가시두더지 (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · fi nokkasiili (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · et sipelgasiil (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · es equidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · id landak semut (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · cy ecidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · sh је́жак (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · cmn 針鼴 /针鼹 (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · hy եքիդնա (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · sh jéžak (hedgehog) (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · de Ameisenigel (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ast equidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · be яхі́дна (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · lt echidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · nl mierenegel (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · uz yexidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · sl kljunati ježek (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · de Echidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · is maurígull (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · cmn 刺食蟻獸 /刺食蚁兽 (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · bg ехи́дна (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · az yexidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · sv myrpiggsvin (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · sh kljunati ježak (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · lv ehidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · pl kolczatka (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · wyi gawan (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · sm ekitina (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ja 針土竜 (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · mk ехи́дна (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ka იქედნე (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ky ехидна (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ro echidneu (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · el έχιδνα (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ga eicidneach (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · hi एकिडना (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · tl ekidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · wrr gawalyan (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · el αγκαθωτός μυρμηγκοφάγος (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · id nokdiak (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · tg ехидна (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · la echidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · sw mhanganungu (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · gni minaji (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · tr dikenli karıncayiyen (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · kky balin.ga (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · hu hangyászsün (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · da myrepindsvin (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · nn maurpiggsvin (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · pt equidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · he הנמלים (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · uk єхи́дна (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · sk ježura (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · tr ekidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · as গোৱালিয়ান (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · sw ekidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · nb maurpiggsvin (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ka ექიდნა (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · wmb nyilangunya (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · gl equidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · th อิคิดนา (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · fr échidné (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ar نَضْناض (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · as একিনা (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ru ехи́дна (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · br ekidne (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · is mjónefur (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · cs ježura (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · xda kunyi (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · eo ekidno (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · jv ekidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · vi thú lông nhím (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · io ekidno (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · myv нерьсеель (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ar إِيكِيدْنَا (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · sh кљунати јежак (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · it echidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · km អ៊ីឈីដាណា (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ug يېخىدنا (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ca equidna (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · kk түрпі (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ro echidnă (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ja エキドナ (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · rop bogibain (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · ko 바늘두더지 (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · af mierystervark (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · de Schnabeligel (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · nb maurpinnsvin (any of the four species of small spined monotremes) · cmn 食蟻蝟 /食蚁猬 (any of the four species of small spined monotremes)