porcupine

American  

[pawr-kyuh-pahyn] / ˈpɔr kyəˌpaɪn /

noun

1. any of several rodents covered with stiff, sharp, erectile spines or quills, as Erethizon dorsatum of North America.

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porcupine British  

/ ˈpɔːkjʊˌpaɪn /

noun

1. any of various large hystricomorph rodents of the families Hystricidae, of Africa, Indonesia, S Europe, and S Asia, and Erethizontidae, of the New World. All species have a body covering of protective spines or quills

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Other Word Forms

• porcupinish adjective
• porcupiny adjective

Etymology

Origin of porcupine

1375–1425; late Middle English porcupyne, variant of porcapyne; replacing porke despyne < Middle French porc d'espine thorny pig. See pork, spine

Explanation

A porcupine is a prickly rodent, a round forest animal that's covered in sharp, protective quills. How do you pet a porcupine? Very, very carefully. Porcupine comes from Latin roots, porcus, "pig," and spina, "spine or quill." Fittingly, a regional name for the porcupine is "quill pig." The porcupine is famous for its spines, which become spikier when it's afraid or angry. Less well known is the fact that porcupines also clatter their teeth loudly as a warning — all the more reason for your dog to feel embarrassed after she ends up with a nose full of porcupine quills.

Example Sentences

What followed was a comedy of errors including military drills that outpaced anything this group of office workers had in mind, a rogue porcupine, stranded airplanes and one syringe to the butt of an employee.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Rick: The hotel pretty much just got the porcupine and left.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

BBC Scotland News understands bedding was discovered with porcupine quills in the straw.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2025

DNA evidence suggests North America's sole porcupine belongs to a group that originated 10 million years ago, but fossils seem to tell a different story.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2024

A breeze, a squirrel, a fox, a grouse with chicks, a wolf, a moose, another squirrel, dozens of squirrels, a marten, a porcupine, several bears, more moose, once a wolverine...always something.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen