/ ɪˈkɪdnə; NAmE / (also ˌspiny ˈanteater ) noun
an Australasian animal with a long nose, sharp claws on its feet, and sharp spines on its body, which eats insects
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 19th cent.: modern Latin , from Greek ekhidna viper, also the name of a mythical creature which gave birth to the Hydra; compare with ekhinos sea urchin, hedgehog.