Meaning & use
echidna
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
A small Australian mammal with a long snout, spines on its back, and a sticky tongue for catching ants and termites.
Grammar: Countable: one echidna, two echidnas. It is also called a spiny anteater.
Patterns
- an echidna
- a baby echidna
We saw an echidna digging near the path in the national park.
The echidna uses its long tongue to catch ants.
Echidnas are one of only two kinds of mammal that lay eggs.
nouncountabletechnicalbiology
In biology, a member of the group Tachyglossidae, which includes several species of egg-laying mammals.
Grammar: Used in scientific writing to refer to any species in the family, not just one animal.
Patterns
- the echidna family
- species of echidna
The short-beaked echidna is found across Australia.
Researchers compared the DNA of several echidnas.
Word forms
| plural | echidnas |
|---|---|
| plural (technical) | echidnae |
Common combinations
- short-beaked echidna
- The short-beaked echidna is the most widespread species.
- lay eggs
- Like the platypus, the echidna lays eggs.
- spiny anteater
- Another name for the echidna is the spiny anteater.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spiny anteater
- A common everyday name for the same animal; 'echidna' is the usual scientific name.
Practice
How is the 'ch' in 'echidna' pronounced?
Choose one answer.
The 'ch' in 'echidna' is pronounced /k/, so the word sounds like ih-KID-nuh. It is not pronounced like 'chair', 'shoe', or 'jump'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “echidna”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.