hedgehog
Meanings
Plural: hedgehogs
Noun
- relatively large rodents with sharp erectile bristles mingled with the fur
- small nocturnal Old World mammal covered with both hair and protective spines
- A small mammal, of the subfamily Erinaceinae, characterized by their spiny back and often by the habit of rolling up into a ball when attacked.
- Any of several spiny mammals, such as the porcupine, that are similar to the hedgehog.
- Ellipsis of Czech hedgehog (“an antitank obstacle constructed from three steel rails”).
- A spigot mortar-type of depth charge weapon from World War II that simultaneously fires a number of explosives into the water to create a pattern of underwater explosions intended to attack submerged submarines.
- A type of chocolate cake (or slice), somewhat similar to an American brownie.
- A form of dredging machine.
- Certain flowering plants with parts resembling a member of family Erinaceidae
- Medicago intertexta, the pods of which are armed with short spines.
- Certain flowering plants with parts resembling a member of family Erinaceidae
- Retzia capensis of South Africa.
- The edible fungus Hydnum repandum.
- A kind of electrical transformer with open magnetic circuit, the ends of the iron wire core being turned outward and presenting a bristling appearance.
- A way of serving food at a party, consisting of a half melon or potato etc. with individual cocktail sticks of cheese and pineapple stuck into it.
- A type of plane curve; see Hedgehog (geometry).
- Someone who has one big overarching personal philosophy or worldview.
Verb
- To make use of a hedgehog barricade as a defensive maneuver.
- To array with spiky projections like the quills of a hedgehog.
- To curl up into a defensive ball.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English heyghoge; equivalent to hedge + hog. Eclipsed non-native Middle English yrchoun, irchoun (“hedgehog”), from Old French hirchoun, herichon (“hedgehog”); and Middle English il, from Old English īl, iġil (“hedgehog”).
In the philosophical sense, from the 1953 essay The Hedgehog and the Fox by Isaiah Berlin.
Synonyms
Calvary clover, Calvary medick, Erinaceus europaeus, Erinaceus europeaeus, furze-pig, fuzz-pig, hedgehog medick, hedgepig, hedgy-boar, porcupine, prickly-pig, sweet tooth, urchin, wood hedgehog
Antonyms
Scrabble Score: 17
hedgehog is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordhedgehog is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
hedgehog is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary