What does "echidna" mean?
Any of the species of small spined monotremes in the family Tachyglossidae, the four extant species of which are found in Australia and southern New Guinea.
Echidna
/əˈkɪdnə/ name, noun
name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of the species of small spined monotremes in the family Tachyglossidae, the four extant species of which are found in Australia and southern New Guinea.
- Grammar: echidna is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: animal, anteater, antelope, armadillo.
- Usage evidence: Horrible, hideous, and of hellish race, / Borne of the brooding of Echidna base, / Or other like infernall furies kinde […].
How to use "echidna"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "echidna" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "echidna" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "echidna" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of the species of small spined monotremes in the family Tachyglossidae, the four extant species of which are found in Australia and southern New Guinea.
- 2 a burrowing monotreme mammal covered with spines and having a long snout and claws for hunting ants and termites; native to Australia wordnet
- 3 a burrowing monotreme mammal covered with spines and having a long snout and claws for hunting ants and termites; native to New Guinea wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A female monster who, along with Typhon, mothered the vast majority of the famous monsters and creatures of Greek mythology. Greek
"Horrible, hideous, and of hellish race, / Borne of the brooding of Echidna base, / Or other like infernall furies kinde […]."
Example
"Horrible, hideous, and of hellish race, / Borne of the brooding of Echidna base, / Or other like infernall furies kinde […]."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "echidna"?
Common synonyms include: animal, anteater, antelope, armadillo, bat, dragon.
How do you use "echidna" in a sentence?
Horrible, hideous, and of hellish race, / Borne of the brooding of Echidna base, / Or other like infernall furies kinde […].
How do you pronounce "echidna"?
Pronounced /əˈkɪdnə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Coined in scientific literature around 1811. Probably from Ancient Greek ἔχιδνα (ékhidna, “snake, viper”) via Latin echidna. Compare ἐχῖνος (ekhînos, “hedgehog, etc.”). However, this sense is problematic (unless it is a reference to the ant-eating tongue). The name perhaps belongs to Latin echinus (“sea urchin, hedgehog”) from the aforementioned Ancient Greek term's alternate sense of "sea-urchin" (also "sharp points"), which Watkins explains as "snake-eater", from ἔχις (ékhis, “snake”), though it may actually be from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰis (“hedgehog, hedgehog-like animals”). The 1810 Encyclopaedia Britannica deduces thus the animal's alternative name as "porcupine ant-eater". Alternatively, and perhaps more likely, the name refers to Echidna as the name of a serpent-nymph in Greek mythology, "a beautiful woman in the upper part of her body; but instead of legs and feet, she had from the waist downward, the form of a serpent", in which case the animal was named for its mixed features (early naturalists doubted whether it was a mammal or amphibian). Ultimately, the etymology may be from a synthesis of all the roots above. (From OED.)
Etymology 2
From Ancient Greek Ἔχιδνα (Ékhidna, “Echidna”), from ἔχιδνα (ékhidna, “viper”).