echidna
[ ih-kid-nuh ]
/ ɪˈkɪd nə /
noun
Also called spiny anteater.
any of several insectivorous monotremes of the genera Tachyglossus, of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, and Zaglossus, of New Guinea, that have claws and a slender snout and are covered with coarse hair and long spines.
Origin of echidna
< New Latin (1798), originally a genus name; Latin: serpent,
Echidna a mythical creature which gave birth to the Hydra and other monsters < Greek
échidna, akin to
échis viper
Words nearby echidna
echelette,
echelon,
echeveria,
echeverría,
echeverría álvarez,
echidna,
echinacea,
echinate,
echino-,
echinococcosis,
echinococcus
Example sentences from the Web for echidna
British Dictionary definitions for echidna
echidna
/ (ɪˈkɪdnə) /
noun plural -nas or -nae (-niː)
any of the spine-covered monotreme mammals of the genera Tachyglossus of Australia and Zaglossus of New Guinea: family Tachyglossidae. They have a long snout and claws for hunting ants and termites
Also called: spiny anteater
Word Origin for echidna
C19: from New Latin, from Latin: viper, from Greek
ekhidna