porcupine
noun/ˈpɔːkjupaɪn/
/ˈpɔːrkjupaɪn/
- an animal covered with long, stiff parts like needles (called quills), which it can raise to protect itself when it is attackedTopics Animalsc2Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French porc espin, from Provençal porc espi(n), from Latin porcus ‘pig’ + spina ‘thorn’.
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porcupine