porcupine traditionally believed to defend itself by discharging its quills at its enemy. The porcupine was the personal badge of Louis XII, king of France (1462–1515).

Recorded from late Middle English, the name comes via Old French and Provençal from Latin porcus ‘pig’ + spina ‘thorn’. An early variant, porpentine, is now likely to be known from its use by Shakespeare, as in Hamlet.

porcupine Short-legged, mostly nocturnal, herbivorous rodent with erectile, defensive quills in its back. Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae have brown to black fur with white-banded quills and are terrestrial. New World porcupines of the family Erethizontidae are smaller with yellow to white quills and are arboreal. The largest European and African rodent, the African crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata), attains a length of c.80cm (31in).

por·cu·pine / ˈpôrkyəˌpīn/ • n. a large rodent (Old World family Hystricidae and New World family Erethizontidae) with defensive spines or quills on the body and tail. The common North American species is Erethizon dorsatum

porcupine XIV. ME. porc despyne, later porke-, porcupine — OF. porc espin (also porc d'espine), mod. porc-épic — Pr. porc espi(n) :- Rom. *porcospīnus, f. L. porcus pig + spīnus SPINE.

porcupine
1. (Old World) See HYSTRICIDAE.

2. (New World) See ERETHIZONTIDAE.