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Hedgehog

/ˈhɛdʒhɒɡ/

A small mammal, of the family Erinaceidae or subfamily Erinaceinae (spiny hedgehog, the latter characterized by their spiny back and often by the habit of rolling up into a ball when attacked.)

Full Dictionary Entry

📖 Definitions of "Hedgehog"

noun

1
A small mammal, of the family Erinaceidae or subfamily Erinaceinae (spiny hedgehog, the latter characterized by their spiny back and often by the habit of rolling up into a ball when attacked.)
2
Any of several spiny mammals, such as the porcupine, that are similar to the hedgehog.
3
A type of moveable military barricade made from crossed logs or steel bars, laced with barbed wire, used to damage or impede tanks and vehicles; Czech hedgehog.
4
A spigot mortar-type of depth charge weapon from World War II that simultaneously fires a number of explosives into the water to create a pattern of underwater explosions intended to attack submerged submarines.

verb

1
To make use of a hedgehog barricade as a defensive maneuver.
2
To array with spiky projections like the quills of a hedgehog.
3
To curl up into a defensive ball.

🔄 Synonyms of "Hedgehog"

3 synonyms found via WordNet and Google Books.

Word	Definition
porcupinenoun	Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic families Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) or Erethizontidae (New World porcupines), both from the infraorder Hystricognathi, noted for their sharp spines or quills, which are raised when the animal is attacked or surprised.
erinaceus europaeusnoun	small nocturnal old world mammal covered with both hair and protective spines
erinaceus europeaeusnoun	small nocturnal old world mammal covered with both hair and protective spines

💡 Words with a Similar Meaning to "Hedgehog"

Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.

Word	Definition
porcupinenoun	Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic families Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) or Erethizontidae (New World porcupines), both from the infraorder Hystricognathi, noted for their sharp spines or quills, which are raised when the animal is attacked or surprised.
erinaceus europaeusnoun	small nocturnal old world mammal covered with both hair and protective spines
erinaceus europeaeusnoun	small nocturnal old world mammal covered with both hair and protective spines
cactusnoun	(botany) Any member of the family Cactaceae, a family of flowering New World succulent plants suited to a hot, semi-desert climate.
sonic	Of or relating to sound.
hedge-hognoun	Obsolete form of hedgehog. [A small mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, characterized by their spiny back and often by the habit of rolling up into a ball when attacked, native to Afro-Eurasia.]
european hedgehognoun	Erinaceus europaeus, the hedgehog that inhabits much of Western and Central Europe.
erinaceidnoun	(zoology) Any mammal in the family Erinaceidae, the hedgehogs, gymnures and moonrats.
hedgepignoun	(Berkshire and Oxfordshire) A hedgehog.
hairy hedgehognoun	A gymnure
hedgy-boarnoun	(Devon and Cornwall, now rare) A hedgehog.
urchinnoun	A mischievous child.
arraynoun	(programming) Any of various data structures designed to hold multiple elements of the same type; especially, a data structure that holds these elements in adjacent memory locations so that they may be retrieved using numeric indices.
gymnurenoun	A carnivorous mammal, subfamily Galericinae, related to the hedgehogs and resembling a large rat, which inhabits various parts of south-east Asia.
furze-pignoun	(West Country) A hedgehog.
thornhognoun	(obsolete) A hedgehog.
erinaceomorphnoun	Any small mammal of the order Erinaceomorpha
hogletnoun	A baby hedgehog.
ericiusnoun	(biblical) hedgehog
spiny ratnoun	Any of certain caviomorph rodents of the family Echimyidae of Neotropical spiny rats, especially of genus Proechimys, that resemble rats and have stiff, pointed hairs, or spines.