n.
Pronunciation: i- ' kid-n ə
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, viper, from Greek ― more at OPHITIC
Date: 1832
: a spiny-coated toothless burrowing nocturnal monotreme mammal ( Tachyglossus aculeatus ) of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea that has a long extensible tongue and long heavy claws and that feeds chiefly on ants also : a related mammal ( Zaglossus bruijni ) of New Guinea having a longer snout and shorter spines
echidna