What does porcupine mean?
Definitions for porcupine
ˈpɔr kyəˌpaɪnpor·cu·pine
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word porcupine.
Princeton's WordNet
porcupine, hedgehognoun
relatively large rodents with sharp erectile bristles mingled with the fur
Wiktionary
porcupinenoun
Any of several rodents covered with stiff, sharp, erectile, spines or quills (that stand straight up when the animal is attacked or surprised), belonging to one of two taxonomic families: Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) and Erethizontidae (New World porcupines).
Etymology: Literally spiny-pig, from porcus, + spinus.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Porcupinenoun
The porcupine, when full grown, is as large as a moderate pig: the quills, with which its whole body is covered, are black on the shoulders, thighs, sides and belly; on the back, hips and loins they are variegated with white and pale brown: the neck is short and thick, the nose blunt, the nostrils very large in form of slits; the upper lip is slit or cleft as in the hare, and it has whiskers like a cat: the eyes are small, and the ears are very like those of the human species: the legs are short, and on the hinder feet are five toes, but only four upon the fore feet, and its tail is four or five inches long, beset with spines in an annular series round it: there is no other difference between the porcupine of Malacca and that of Europe, but that the former grows to a larger size. Hill.
Etymology: pore espi or epic, Fr. porcospino, Italian.
This stubborn Cade
Fought so long, till that his thighs with darts
Were almost like a sharp-quill’d porcupine. William Shakespeare.Long bearded comets stick
Like flaming porcupines to their left sides,
As they would shoot their quills into their hearts. Dryden.By the black prince of Monomotapa’s side were the glaring cat-a-mountain and the quill-darting porcupine. Scriblerus Club .
Wikipedia
Porcupine
Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizontidae. Both families belong to the infraorder Hystricognathi within the profoundly diverse order Rodentia and display superficially similar coats of rigid or semi-rigid quills, which are modified hairs composed of keratin. Despite this, the two groups are distinct from one another and are not closely related to each other within the Hystricognathi. The largest species of porcupine is the third-largest living rodent in the world, after the capybara and beaver. The Old World porcupines (Hystricidae) live in Italy, Asia (western and southern), and most of Africa. They are large, terrestrial, and strictly nocturnal. The New World porcupines (Erethizontidae) are indigenous to North America and northern South America. They live in wooded areas and can climb trees, where some species spend their entire lives. They are less strictly nocturnal than their Old World counterparts and generally smaller. Most porcupines are about 60–90 cm (25–36 in) long, with a 20–25 cm (8–10 in) long tail. Weighing 5–16 kg (12–35 lb), they are rounded, large, and slow, and use an aposematic strategy of defence. Porcupines' colouration consists of various shades of brown, grey and white. Porcupines' spiny protection resembles that of the only distantly related erinaceomorph hedgehogs and Australian monotreme echidnas as well as tenrecid tenrecs.
ChatGPT
porcupine
A porcupine is a large rodent known for its coat of sharp spines, or quills, which protect it against predators. There are two main types: Old World porcupines, found in Africa, Europe and Asia; and New World porcupines, found in North and South America. They are generally nocturnal and have a diet primarily consisting of bark, leaves, and soft-stemmed plants.
Webster Dictionary
Porcupinenoun
any Old Word rodent of the genus Hystrix, having the back covered with long, sharp, erectile spines or quills, sometimes a foot long. The common species of Europe and Asia (Hystrix cristata) is the best known
Porcupinenoun
any species of Erethizon and related genera, native of America. They are related to the true porcupines, but have shorter spines, and are arboreal in their habits. The Canada porcupine (Erethizon dorsatus) is a well known species
Etymology: [OE. porkepyn, porpentine, OF. porc-espi, F. porc-pic (cf. It. porco spino, porco spinoso, Sp. puerco espino, puerco espin, fr. L. porcus swine + spina thorn, spine). The last part of the French word is perhaps a corruption from the It. or Sp.; cf. F. pi ear, a spike of grain, L. spica. See Pork, Spike a large nail, Spine.]
Wikidata
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend and camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about 25–36 in long, with an 8–10 in long tail. Weighing 12–35 lb, they are rounded, large and slow. Porcupines come in various shades of brown, gray, and the unusual white. Porcupines' spiny protection resembles that of the unrelated erinaceomorph hedgehogs and monotreme echidnas. The common porcupine is a herbivore. It eats leaves, herbs, twigs and green plants like skunk cabbage and clover and in the winter it may eat bark. The North American porcupine often climbs trees to find food. The African porcupine is not a climber and forages on the ground. It is mostly nocturnal, but will sometimes forage for food in the day. Porcupines have become a pest in Kenya and are eaten as a delicacy. A male porcupine urinates on a female porcupine prior to mating, spraying the urine at high velocity. The name porcupine comes from Middle French porc espin. A regional American name for the animal is quill pig.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Porcupine
por′kū-pīn, n. one of the largest of rodent quadrupeds, covered with spines or quills. [O. Fr. porc espin—L. porcus, a pig, spina, a spine.]
Matched Categories
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of porcupine in Chaldean Numerology is: 9
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of porcupine in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9
Examples of porcupine in a Sentence
Exactly when and where they go is impossible to predict. Most herds, however, are drawn to a specific calving area. The 169,000 member Porcupine caribou herd has such a connection with Arctic Refuge.
God has a sense of humor. Why else would he invent the porcupine and the giraffe ? something can be devilishly funny, but this skit is diabolical. God has only one real enemy — Satan. Satan ridicules faith, and they’re taking Satan’s side. They’re also ridiculing me and the film, telling impressionableyoung people not to see it because it's ridiculous. Then they throw in that the lawyer is Jewish to make the Christian look even worse, but it’s just anti-Semitic.
When I give Lyric Drumgoole a kiss on the cheek, I feel like Lyric Drumgoole cheeks are like a porcupine, i just feel like my mouth got a lip full of porcupine needles.
Republican Senate candidate Dr. Oz:
I never expected it would get ugly. Period. Certainly not this ugly, but I’m a porcupine.
We fulfilled our obligations there to consult with the Canadian government on the Porcupine herd.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for porcupine
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- ystervarkAfrikaans
- نيصArabic
- дзікабразBelarusian
- мъначка, таралежBulgarian
- porc espíCatalan, Valencian
- ᑳᑲCree
- dikobrazCzech
- Quastenstachler, Baumstachler, Baumstachelschwein, Urson, StachelschweinGerman
- ακανθόχοιροςGreek
- histriko, eretizonoEsperanto
- puercoespínSpanish
- arantzurdeBasque
- تشیPersian
- piikkisikaFinnish
- porc-épicFrench
- ychelWestern Frisian
- torcánIrish
- શાહુડીGujarati
- sülHungarian
- landakIndonesian
- porcospino, istriceItalian
- 山荒, ヤマアラシJapanese
- მაჩვზღარბაGeorgian
- កាំប្រមា, ប្រមាKhmer
- 고슴도치Korean
- hystrixLatin
- साळूMarathi
- landak, cewe duriMalay
- stekelvarkenDutch
- hulepinnsvin, pinnsvinNorwegian
- dahsáníNavajo, Navaho
- jeżozwierzPolish
- porco-espinhoPortuguese
- porc spinosRomanian
- дикобразRussian
- дикобраз, dikobrazSerbo-Croatian
- ježevecSlovene
- nokoSouthern Sotho
- piggsvinSwedish
- முள்ளம்பன்றிTamil
- дикобразUkrainian
- nhímVietnamese
- saawWolof
- שטעכל־חזירYiddish
- 豪猪Chinese
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