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e·chid·na

(i-kidnə)

Any of several nocturnal burrowing egg-laying mammals of the genera Tachyglossus and Zaglossus of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, having a spiny coat, a slender snout, and an extensible sticky tongue used for catching insects.Also called spiny anteater.

[Latin, adder, viper, fromGreekekhidna, fromekhis.]

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echidna

short-beaked echidna

Tachyglossus aculeatus

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The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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