porc-épic

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian porcospino, from Vulgar Latin *porcospinus, calque of Ancient Greek ἀκανθόχοιρος (akanthókhoiros), from ἄκανθα (ákantha, “spine”) + χοῖρος (khoîros, “pig”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔʁ.k‿e.pik/

• Audio (Paris):

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Noun

porc-épic m (plural porcs-épics)

1. porcupine

Further reading

• “porc-épic”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.