porcupine

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of various rodents of the Old World family Hystricidae or the New World family Erethizontidae, having long, sharp, erectile quills interspersed with coarse hair.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A hystricomorphic rodent quadruped of the family Hystricidæ, of which there are several genera and many species, representing two subfamilies, the Hystricinæ or Old World porcupines, which are all terrestrial and fossorial animals, and the Sphingurinæ or New World porcupines, more or less arboreal, and in some cases having a prehensile tail. The spines or quills with which these animals are beset reach their highest development in species of Hystrix proper, as H. cristata, the common porcupine of southern Europe and northern Africa. Such quills may be a foot long; they are prettily variegated in color, and much used for penholders. Brush-tailed porcupines constitute the genus Atherura, and inhabit the Malay region and Africa. The only North American porcupines belong to the genus Erethizon, of which there are 2 species, the common eastern E. dorsatus, and the western yellow haired E. epixanthus; in both the spines are only an inch or two long, and mostly hidden in long hair. They are of large size, reaching 2 ½ feet in length, and of ungainly form and ugly visage, with an extremely stout and clumsy body and broad, flat, blunt tail. One or the other species is found from the northern limit of trees through the greater part of the United States. The spines grow mostly on the rump and back of the broad flat tail; they are quite loosely attached, and when the animal slaps with its tail (its usual mode of defense) some quills may be flirted to a distance. Something like this, no doubt, gives rise to the popular notion that the porcupine “shoots” its quills at an enemy. These small quills are strikingly like the spines of the prickly-pear (Opuntia) in size and shape, and like them are minutely barbed at the end, so that they stick in the flesh of one who receives a blow from the tail. They are much used by the Indians for trimming buckskin garments and ornamenting moccasins. Other American tree-porcupines constitute the genera Sphingurus and Chætomys; they are of smaller size and arboreal habits, and range from southern Mexico through a great part of South America. See Hystricidæ, Hystrix; also cut under prehensile-tailed.
2. n. An apparatus for heckling flax.
3. n. A cylindrical heckle for worsted yarn.
4. To cause to stand up like a porcupine's quills.

Wiktionary

1. n. Any of several rodents covered with stiff, sharp, erectile, spines or quills (that stand straight up when the animal is attacked or surprised), belonging to one of two taxonomic families: Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) and Erethizontidae (New World porcupines).

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) Any Old Word rodent of the genus Hystrix, having the back covered with long, sharp, erectile spines or quills, sometimes a foot long. The common species of Europe and Asia (Hystrix cristata) is the best known.
2. n. (Zoöl.) Any species of Erethizon and related genera, native of America. They are related to the true porcupines, but have shorter spines, and are arboreal in their habits. The Canada porcupine (Erethizon dorsatus) is a well known species.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. relatively large rodents with sharp erectile bristles mingled with the fur