urchin

n. a small sea animal with a round shell covered in sharp spikes.

n. a small, spiny marine echinoderm of the class Echinoidea, typically possessing a globular body protected by a calcareous test.

“We had to be careful not to step on a sharp urchin while swimming near the rocks.”

“The diver carefully avoided the purple spines of the urchin, which was wedged firmly into a crevice in the coral reef.”

n. a poor child who is often dirty and spends most of their time on the street.

n. a mischievous or impoverished child who lives or spends significant time on the streets; often carries a Dickensian or historical connotation.

“The old novel describes a young urchin begging for coins in the market.”

“Victorian literature frequently features the street urchin as a symbol of urban poverty and neglected childhood.”

Literary

n. an old word for a hedgehog.

n. the original English term for a hedgehog, now largely replaced by the modern name.

“In the ancient poem, the poet describes an urchin hiding in the bushes.”

“The term survives in modern English primarily through the name of the 'sea urchin', which was named for its resemblance to the land-dwelling urchin.”

Archaic