noun

echidna

uh-KIHD-nuh

noun

A small, spiny, egg-laying mammal native to Australia and New Guinea, related to the platypus.

"The echidna curled into a spiky ball as soon as the dog approached."

How to Use Echidna

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA spiny, egg-laying Australian mammal, sometimes called a "spiny anteater."

Common pairings

spiny echidna short-beaked echidna

Word Forms

echidnas plural, echidnae plural

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The _____ curled into a spiky ball as soon as the dog approached.

Etymology

Coined in scientific Latin around 1811, probably from Greek ékhidna ("snake" or "viper"); some sources also link the name to Echidna, a serpent-woman of Greek mythology, since early naturalists were unsure whether the animal was mammal or reptile.