Synonyms

porcupine

American

[pawr-kyuh-pahyn] / ˈpɔr kyəˌpaɪn /

noun

any of several rodents covered with stiff, sharp, erectile spines or quills, as Erethizon dorsatum of North America.

porcupine British

/ ˈpɔːkjʊˌpaɪn /

noun

any of various large hystricomorph rodents of the families Hystricidae, of Africa, Indonesia, S Europe, and S Asia, and Erethizontidae, of the New World. All species have a body covering of protective spines or quills

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

porcupinish adjective
porcupiny adjective

Etymology

Origin of porcupine

1375–1425; late Middle English porcupyne, variant of porcapyne; replacing porke despyne < Middle French porc d'espine thorny pig. See pork, spine

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He was slipping along as if he were walking on porcupines.

From Literature

The hollow spikes may have served as a defensive adaptation, functioning in a way similar to the quills of a porcupine by discouraging predators from attacking.

From Science Daily

"Sam," she said at last, "I have never ever wished to have a porcupine instead of a son."

From Literature

“A guy like me gets around in a lot of different circles. I pick up a little coyote here, a little porcupine there.”

From Literature

William Mulholland, the man who brought in Owens Valley water in 1913, told a committee that sought his candidacy: “Gentlemen, I would rather give birth to a porcupine backwards than be mayor of Los Angeles.”

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023