Urchin
Urchin (û"chin) , noun
[Old English urchon, irchon, a hedgehog, Old French irecon, ericon, hericon, herichon, French hérisson, a derivative from Latin ericius, from er a hedgehog, for her; akin to Greek chh`r. Compare Herisson.]
1.
(Zoology) A hedgehog.
2.
(Zoology) A sea urchin. See Sea urchin.
3.
A mischievous elf supposed sometimes to take the form a hedgehog.
We 'll dress [them] like urchins, ouphes, and fairies.
4.
A pert or roguish child; -- now commonly used only of a boy.
And the urchins that stand with their thievish eyes
Forever on watch ran off each with a prize.
You did indeed dissemble, you urchin you; but where's the girl that won't dissemble for an husband?
5.
One of a pair in a series of small card cylinders, arranged around a carding drum; -- so called from its fancied resemblance to the hedgehog. — Knight
Collocations (1)
Urchin fish (Zoology) , a diodon.
Urchin , adjective
Rough; pricking; piercing. [Rare]
Helping all urchin blasts.