porcupine

/ˈpɔrkjupaɪn/

/ˈpɔkjupaɪn/

Other forms: porcupines

A porcupine is a prickly rodent, a round forest animal that's covered in sharp, protective quills. How do you pet a porcupine? Very, very carefully.

Porcupine comes from Latin roots, porcus, "pig," and spina, "spine or quill." Fittingly, a regional name for the porcupine is "quill pig." The porcupine is famous for its spines, which become spikier when it's afraid or angry. Less well known is the fact that porcupines also clatter their teeth loudly as a warning — all the more reason for your dog to feel embarrassed after she ends up with a nose full of porcupine quills.

Definitions of porcupine

1. noun

   any of various, relatively large, hairy, plant-eating mammals of the rodent order, either ground-dwelling or tree-dwelling, having sharp spines
   synonyms: hedgehog

   types:

   Old World porcupine

   terrestrial porcupine

   New World porcupine

   arboreal porcupine

   brush-tail porcupine, brush-tailed porcupine

   porcupine with a tuft of large beaded bristles on the tail

   Trichys lipura, long-tailed porcupine

   porcupine of Borneo and Sumatra having short spines and a long tail

   Canada porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum

   porcupine of northeastern North America with barbed spines concealed in the coarse fur; often gnaws buildings for salt and grease

   type of:

   gnawer, rodent

   relatively small placental mammals having a single pair of constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawing