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Definition of "echidna" [e•chid•na]

  • Either of two nocturnal, burrowing, egg-laying mammals of the genera Tachyglossus and Zaglossus of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, having a spiny coat, slender snout, and an extensible sticky tongue used for catching insects. Also called spiny anteater. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "echidna" in a sentence
  • "Blast, I fell victim to the platypus ... now my echidna is all chittering in the corner about bread on the table, crumbs in the pantry and freelance websites."
  • "The long tubular nose of the echidna is the vital spot."
  • "Next in size to the echidna is the white-tipped rat (UROMYS HIRSUTIS?), water-loving, nocturnal in its habits, fierce and destructive."