ECHIDNA (echidnae)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: echidnae   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does echidna mean? 

• ECHIDNA (noun)
  The noun ECHIDNA has 2 senses:

1. a burrowing monotreme mammal covered with spines and having a long snout and claws for hunting ants and termites; native to 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

  Familiarity information: ECHIDNA used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ECHIDNA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A burrowing monotreme mammal covered with spines and having a long snout and claws for hunting ants and termites; native to New Guinea

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

anteater; echidna; spiny anteater

Hypernyms ("echidna" is a kind of...):

egg-laying mammal; monotreme (the most primitive mammals comprising the only extant members of the subclass Prototheria)

Holonyms ("echidna" is a member of...):

genus Zaglossus; Zaglossus (a genus of Tachyglossidae)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A burrowing monotreme mammal covered with spines and having a long snout and claws for hunting ants and termites; native to Australia

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

anteater; echidna; spiny anteater

Hypernyms ("echidna" is a kind of...):

egg-laying mammal; monotreme (the most primitive mammals comprising the only extant members of the subclass Prototheria)

Holonyms ("echidna" is a member of...):

genus Tachyglossus; Tachyglossus (type genus of the family Tachyglossidae)