porcupine
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
porcupine/ˈpɔːkjupʌɪn/
▶noun a large rodent with defensive spines or quills on the body and tail. [Families Hystricidae (Old World) and Erethizontidae (New World).]
– origin ME: from OFr. porc espin, from Provençal porc espi(n), from L. porcus ‘pig’ + spina ‘thorn’.
'porcupine' also found in these Oxford entries:
