noun
porcupine of northeastern North America with barbed spines concealed in the coarse fur; often gnaws buildings for salt and grease
• Syn: ↑Erethizon dorsatum
• Hypernyms: ↑New World porcupine
• Member Holonyms: ↑Erethizon, ↑genus Erethizon
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nounUsage: usually capitalized C
: the porcupine (Erethizon dorsatus) of northeastern No. America being about two feet long with barbed spines largely concealed in the coarse fur, feeding chiefly on bark and leaves, and sometimes causing considerable damage to isolated buildings which it gnaws for the salt and grease accumulated in their substance
Useful english dictionary. 2012.