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hedgehog

hed·ge·hog

UK/ˈhɛd͡ʒ.hɒɡ/ US/ˈhɛd͡ʒ.hɔɡ/ fairly common informal us

noun

1.

relatively large rodents with sharp erectile bristles mingled with the fur

Synonyms
2.

Origin

From Middle English heyghoge; equivalent to hedge + hog. Eclipsed non-native Middle English yrchoun, irchoun (“hedgehog”), from Old French hirchoun, herichon (“hedgehog”); and displaced earlier 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. Compare typologically Korean 고슴도치 (goseumdochi) (<<+ Middle Korean 돝 (twoth, “pig, swine”)).

Phrases

  • Amur hedgehog
  • bare-bellied hedgehog
  • Brandt's hedgehog
  • Chinese hedgehog
  • Czech hedgehog
  • Daurian hedgehog
  • desert hedgehog
  • European hedgehog

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.