porcupine en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈpɔː(ɹ)kiˌpaɪn/ (colloquial)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈpɔː(ɹ)kɪˌpaɪn/ (colloquial)
- /ˈpɔː(ɹ)kjʊˌpaɪn/
- /ˈpɔː(ɹ)kəˌpaɪn/ (colloquial)
Etymology
From Middle English porke despyne, from Old French porc-espin, from Latin porcus (“pig”) + spinus (“spine”), hence also spine pig. Cognate with Spanish puercoespín, Italian porcospino, Portuguese porco-espinho.
Meanings
-
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.
Old World porcupines (Hystricidae) have quills embedded in clusters, whereas in New World porcupines (Erethizontidae) single quills are interspersed with bristles, underfur, and hair. No porcupine can throw its quills, but they detach easily and will remain embedded in an attacker.
2011, John P. Rafferty, Rats, Bats, and Xenarthrans, page 113:I have no evidence of grizzlies killing porcupines or vice versa. However, occasionally there is contact and sometimes a grizzly is injured or a porcupine killed, but the latter is rare.
1981, Adolph Murie, The Grizzlies of Mount McKinley, page 218:In particular, porcupines, hyenas, and leopards are known in Africa to transport bones to particular places.
2010, Richard Potts, Early Hominid Activities at Olduvai, page 81:
- (Australia, dated) An echidna.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| porpintine | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| porcupines | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| porpentine | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic |
Deriveds
porcupinefish · sea porcupine · Koopman's porcupine · African crested porcupine · porcupine grass · black dwarf porcupine · porcupine crab · African brush-tailed porcupine · British Columbia · frosted hairy dwarf porcupine · Canada porcupine · crested porcupine · Rothschild's porcupine · Wisconsin · Porcupine Seabight · South Porcupine · Old World porcupine · Ontario · Canadian porcupine · Canada · Mexican tree porcupine · bicolored-spined porcupine · Porcupine Creek · Porcupine Gorge National Park · porcupine fish · Porcupine Abyssal Plain · Porcupine Lake · stump-tailed porcupine · Andean porcupine · thin-spined porcupine · black-tailed hairy dwarf porcupine · Porcupine Freedom Festival · porcupinish · bristle-spined porcupine · porcupine family · Australia · brown hairy dwarf porcupine · streaked dwarf porcupine · Porcupine Meadows Provincial Park · Bahia porcupine · Porcupine Mall · North American porcupine · common porcupine · Santa Marta porcupine · Porcupine River · porcupine tomato · long-tailed porcupine · porcupine puffer · Brazilian porcupine · Cape porcupine · Porcupine Mountains · Porcupine Bank · Queensland · New World porcupine · Porcupine Hills · Porcupine Gold Rush · Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park · Porcupine Plain · Michigan · wereporcupine · porcupine flower · prehensile-tailed porcupine · Paraguaian hairy dwarf porcupine · Porcs · USS Porcupine · Porcupine Flat Campground · brush-tailed porcupine · Roosmalen's dwarf porcupine · porcupine anole · Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine · orange-spined hairy dwarf porcupine · Porcupine · porcupine caribou · South Dakota · Saskatchewan
Hyponyms
porcupette (any species of Erethizontidae)
Relateds
urson · porcine · hedgehog · porpentine · porcupette · urchin · echidna · spiny anteater · porcus · porky
Synonyms
spine pig (any species of Hystricidae or Erethizontidae) · porky (any species of Hystricidae or Erethizontidae)
Translations (171)
sib larak (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · hu kúszósül (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · gl porco espiño (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · kls šu (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · kqr wutun (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · pl jeżozwierz (rodent of either of the families Hystricidae or Erethizonidae) · yi יאָזש (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · st noko (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · abe kôgw (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · nl stekelvarken (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ar نَيْص (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · nb hulepinnsvin (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · mel tejaan (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · kac dumsi (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · kqr lisis (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · iba landak (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ps ششګی (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · uk дикобра́з (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · nn holepiggsvin (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · sdh سێخچووڵی (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ug جەيرە (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · nn trepiggsvin (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · fa سگرنه (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ru дикобра́з (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ky жайра (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · pt porco-espinho (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · hi सेही (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · chr ᏧᏥ (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · mic matues (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · de Stachelschwein (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · moe kakᵘ (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · km ប្រមា (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · mnw ဗလေၚ် (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · es puercoespín (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ast gochuspín (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ach coo (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · bgc सेह (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · my ဖြူ (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ja ヤマアラシ (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · hy ոզնի (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · apw dahszíné (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · dak pahiŋ (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · kmr sîxurr (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · clt saakuv (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ckb سیخوڕ (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · el ακανθόχοιρος (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · sv piggsvin (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · unm kawiya (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · nb trepinnsvin (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · wo saaw mi (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · abe kôgw (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · tr oklu kirpi (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · xpq kôq (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · sne bidiek (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · tg ҷайра (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · unm kawiya (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · ny nungu (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · sw nungunungu (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · sac akâkwa (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · nv dahsání (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · nb hulepiggsvin (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · pl jeżozwierz (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · pl urson (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · de Urson (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · kk жайра (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · pa ਸੇਹ (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · bgc सेही (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · fy ychel (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · mr साळू (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · grc ὕστριξ (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ky чүткөр (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ta முள்ளம்பன்றி (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · lv dzeloņcūka (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · tew són (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · cmn 豪豬 /豪猪 (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ms landak (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · sh дикобраз (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · lt dygliatriušis (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · et okassiga (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · sdh سیخوْڕ (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · cs dikobraz (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · hu sül (rodent of either of the families Hystricidae or Erethizonidae) · ka მაჩვზღარბა (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · acw نيص (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · yi שטעכל־חזיר (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · sdh سۊچەڕ (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · cy ballasg (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · id landak (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · no hulepinnsvin (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · chr ᎣᎦᎾᎢᏳᏍᏗ ᏧᏥᏲᏍᏗ (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · pt quandu (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · apw dahszíné (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · oj gaag (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · eu arantzurde (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · dsb štapata swinja (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · lt ursonas (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · ja 山荒 (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ckb سووچەڕ (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · it ursone (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · tg дугпушт (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · af ystervark (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · tl pwerkospin (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · it porcospino (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · hop muungyaw (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ko 산미치광이 (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ota كرپی (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · my ဖြူကောင် (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · mvv karuui (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · th เม่น (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · it istrice (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · sv trädpiggsvin (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · hu urzon (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · hi साही (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · shn မဵၼ်ႈ (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · srn agidya (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · no hulepinnsvin (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ro porc spinos (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · he דורבן (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · mvv buuron (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · az oxlu kirpi (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ca porc espí (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · mel tetuong (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · fi piikikäs (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · sh dikobraz (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · da hulepindsvin (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · as কেঁটেলা পহু (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · uz jayra (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · paw cuururaruus (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · pi salla (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · da træpindsvin (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · lo ເໝັ້ນ (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ro porc-ghimpos (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · hy խոզուկ (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · mia aakaawita (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · fi piikikkö (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · ko 호저 (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · gu શાહુડી (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · cr ᑳᑿ (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · ar دُلْدُل (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · oc pòrc-espin (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · sq ferrëgjatë (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · fr porc-épic (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · hrx Stacheldier (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · ur سیہہ (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · esu ilaanquciq (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · luy enjekeche (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · be дзікабра́з (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · hu gyalogsül (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · la hystrix (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · bg бодливо прасе (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · vi nhím (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · fa تشی (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · fa خارپشت (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · de Baumstachler (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · alq kag (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · nb trepiggsvin (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · sl ježevec (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ast escurpín (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · pi sallaka (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · sv jordpiggsvin (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · acm دَعْلَج (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ga torcán (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · chy heškovėstse (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · ms cewe duri (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · eo histriko (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · iu ᐃᓛᖁᑦᓯᖅ (rodent of the family Erethizonidae) · ast perrucuspín (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · ki njege (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · tl landak (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · he דָּרְבָּן (rodent of the family Hystricidae) · km កាំប្រមា (rodent of the family Hystricidae)