Phrase guide

sea urchin

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: sēʹ ûr'tsĭn
  • General-American: /ˈsi ˌɝtʃɪ̈n/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of many marine echinoderms, of the class Echinoidea, commonly found in shallow water, having a complex chewing structure named Aristotle's lantern.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 1986, Patrick S. Leahy, Chapter 1: Laboratory Culture of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus Adults, Embryos, and Larvae, Thomas E. Schroeder (editor), Methods in Cell Biology, Volume 27: Echinoderm Gametes and Embryos, page 2, Of the many species of sea urchins utilized in biological research today the most widely used in North America is probably the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: button fish, sea chestnut, sea egg, sea hedgehog

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

shallow-water echinoderms having soft bodies enclosed in thin spiny globular shells

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: echinoderm

Narrower terms: edible sea urchin, Echinus esculentus, sand dollar, heart urchin

History

Etymology

From sea + urchin (“hedgehog”), reflecting a similarity in appearance to a hedgehog.

Across languages

Translations

136 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: seekastaiing — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Albanian: iriq deti — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Arabic: قُنْفُذ البَحْر (qunfuḏ al-baḥr) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Armenian: ծովոզնի (covozni) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Old Armenian: ոզնի ծովու (ozni covu) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Asturian: oriciu — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Asturian: alezna — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Azerbaijani: dənizkirpisi — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • West Coast Bajau: utim — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Basque: itsas triku — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Belarusian: марскі вожык (marski vóžyk) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Breton: teureug — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Breton: teureugenn — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Breton: kistin-mor — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Bulgarian: морски таралежи (morski taraleži) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Catalan: garota — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Catalan: eriçó de mar — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Cebuano: tuyom — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Cebuano: swaki — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Cherokee: ᎠᎺᏉ ᎡᎯ ᏧᏟᏲᏍᏗ (amequo ehi tsutliyosdi) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Chinese Cantonese: 海膽 /海胆 (hoi2 daam2) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Chinese Mandarin: 海膽 /海胆 (hǎidǎn) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Cornish: sort mor — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Corsican: zinu — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Crimean Tatar: deñiz kirpisi — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Czech: mořský ježek — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Czech: ježovka — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Danish: søpindsvin — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Dutch: zee-egel — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Erzya: ведьсеель (vedsejeľ) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Esperanto: eĥino — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Esperanto: ekino — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Esperanto: mara erinaco — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Esperanto: markaŝtano — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Estonian: merisiilik — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Faroese: igulker — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Finnish: merisiili — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • French: oursin — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • French: hérisson de mer — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Galician: ourizo — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Galician: ourizo do mar — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Galician: ourizo mariño — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Georgian: ზღვის ზღარბი (zɣvis zɣarbi) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • German: Seeigel — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Greek: αχινός (achinós) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Ancient Greek: βρύσσος (brússos) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Ancient Greek: ἐχῖνος (ekhînos) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Greenlandic: eqqusaq — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Hebrew: קִיפּוֹד יָם (kipod yam) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Hindi: जलसाही (jalsāhī) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Hungarian: tengeri sün — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Icelandic: ígulker — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Ido: ekino — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Indonesian: bulu babi — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Indonesian: landak laut — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Irish: cuán mara — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Italian: riccio di mare — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Japanese: 海胆 (uni) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Japanese: 雲丹 (uni) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Kabuverdianu: orisu — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Kabyle: adeɣmus — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Kavalan: qubu — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Kavalan: tlumsik — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Kazakh: теңіз кірпісі (teñız kırpısı) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Korean: 성게 (seongge) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Kyrgyz: деңиз кирписи (deŋiz kirpisi) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Latin: echīnus — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Latvian: jūraseži — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Ligurian: zìn — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Limburgish: zieëieëgel — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Limburgish: watersieëgel — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Lithuanian: jūros ežys — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Luxembourgish: Séiigel — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Macedonian: морски еж (morski ež) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Malay: landak laut — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Malay: jani — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Malayalam: കടൽച്ചേന (kaṭalccēna) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Maltese: rizza — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Manx: crockan traie — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Manx: kione chiyt — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Māori: kina — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Māori: pūrau — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Māori: pūrou — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Mapudungun: yupe — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Western Mari: тангыж шӱлӹ (tangyž šülÿ) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Middle English: yrchoun — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Navajo: táłtłʼááh adijiłii — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Nootka: t̕uc̕up — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Norn: julter — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sjøpiggsvin — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sjøpinnsvin — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kråkebolle — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sjøpiggsvin — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kråkebolle — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Occitan: orsin — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Old Norse: ígull — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Persian: خارپشت دریایی (xârpošt daryâyi) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Persian: توتیای دریایی (tutiyâye daryâyi) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Polish: jeżowiec — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Portuguese: ouriço-do-mar — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Quechua: yaku askanku — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Romanian: arici de mare — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Russian: морско́й ёж (morskój jož) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Russian: ёж-ры́ба (jož-rýba) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Scottish Gaelic: cragan-tràghad — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Scottish Gaelic: cragan-feannaige — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Serbo-Croatian: морски јеж — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Serbo-Croatian: јѐжинац — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Serbo-Croatian: morski jež — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Serbo-Croatian: jèžinac — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Sicilian: rizzu — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Slovak: ježovka — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Slovak: morský ježko — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Slovene: morski ježek — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Lower Sorbian: móŕski jež — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Upper Sorbian: mórski jěž — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Spanish: erizo de mar — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Spanish: erizo marino — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Swedish: sjöborre — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Tagalog: salungo — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Tajik: хорпушти баҳрӣ (xorpušt-i bahri) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Tamil: கடல் முள்ளெலி (kaṭal muḷḷeli) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Thai: เม่นทะเล (mên-tá-lee) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Thai: หอยเม่น (hɔ̌i-mên) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Turkish: denizkestanesi — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Ukrainian: морський їжак (morsʹkyj jižak) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Uzbek: денгиз типратикан (dengiz tipratikan) — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Uzbek: dengiz tipratikan — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Vietnamese: cầu gai — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Vietnamese: nhím biển — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Vietnamese: nhum — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Vietnamese: nhum biển — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Welsh: môr-ddraenog — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Welsh: draenog môr — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Welsh: ŵy môr — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • Yámana: ákis — any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea