sea urchin

sea ur·chin
US/ˈsi ˌɝtʃɪ̈n/

noun

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

Similar
button fishsea chestnutsea eggsea hedgehog
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Meanings

nounsea urchin (plural sea urchins)

plural sea urchins

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

    The pericentriolar radial complex characteristic of the spermatozoa of other echinoderms is lacking in the spermatozoa of all sea urchins.

    2001, V. L. Kasyanov, Reproductive Strategy of Marine Bivalves and Echinoderms, page 90
    2 more 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.

    Approximately 20% of sea urchins are direct-developers, meaning that they bypass the pluteal larval stage and develop directly into an adult sea urchin.

    2004, Belinda J. Sly, The Development and Evolution of the Echinoderm Nervous System, page 9

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

Synonyms & antonyms

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

Similar
button fishsea chestnutsea eggsea hedgehog

Origin

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans seekastaiing
  • seekastaiingany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Ancient Greek βρύσσος, ἐχῖνος
  • βρύσσος (brússos)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • ἐχῖνος (ekhînos)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Arabic قُنْفُذ البَحْر
  • قُنْفُذ البَحْر (qunfuḏ al-baḥr)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Basque itsas triku
  • itsas trikuany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Bulgarian морски таралежи
  • морски таралежи (morski taraleži)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Catalan garota, eriçó de mar
  • garotaany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • eriçó de marany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Chinese Cantonese 海膽 /海胆
  • 海膽 /海胆 (hoi² daam²)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Chinese Mandarin 海膽 /海胆
  • 海膽 /海胆 (hǎidǎn)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Czech mořský ježek, ježovka
  • mořský ježekany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • ježovkaany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Danish søpindsvin
  • søpindsvinany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Dutch zee-egel
  • zee-egelany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Esperanto eĥino, ekino
  • eĥinoany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • ekinoany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • mara erinacoany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • markaŝtanoany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Estonian merisiilik
  • merisiilikany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Finnish merisiili
  • merisiiliany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
French oursin, hérisson de mer
  • oursinany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • hérisson de merany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
German Seeigel
  • Seeigelany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Greek αχινός
  • αχινός (achinós)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Hawaiian ʻina, wana
  • ʻinaany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • wanaany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • hālulaany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • uhalulaany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Hebrew קִיפּוֹד יָם
  • קִיפּוֹד יָם (kipod yam)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Hindi जलसाही
  • जलसाही (jalsāhī)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Hungarian tengeri sün
  • tengeri sünany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Icelandic ígulker
  • ígulkerany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Indonesian bulu babi, landak laut
  • bulu babiany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • landak lautany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Irish cuán mara
  • cuán maraany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Italian riccio di mare
  • riccio di mareany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Japanese 海胆, 雲丹
  • 海胆 (uni)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • 雲丹 (uni)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Korean 성게
  • 성게 (seongge)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Latin echīnus
  • echīnusany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Latvian jūraseži
  • jūrasežiany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Lithuanian jūros ežys
  • jūros ežysany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Malay landak laut, jani
  • landak lautany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • janiany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Māori kina, pūrau
  • kinaany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • pūrauany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • pūrouany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Norwegian Bokmål sjøpiggsvin, sjøpinnsvin
  • sjøpiggsvinany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • sjøpinnsvinany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • kråkebolleany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Persian خارپشت دریایی, توتیای دریایی
  • خارپشت دریایی (xârpošt daryâyi)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • توتیای دریایی (tutiyâye daryâyi)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Polish jeżowiec
  • jeżowiecany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Portuguese ouriço-do-mar
  • ouriço-do-marany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Romanian arici de mare
  • arici de mareany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Russian морско́й ёж, ёж-ры́ба
  • морско́й ёж (morskój jož)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • ёж-ры́ба (jož-rýba)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Scottish Gaelic cragan-tràghad, cragan-feannaige
  • cragan-tràghadany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • cragan-feannaigeany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Slovak ježovka, morský ježko
  • ježovkaany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • morský ježkoany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Spanish erizo de mar, erizo marino
  • erizo de marany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • erizo marinoany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Swedish sjöborre
  • sjöborreany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Tagalog salungo
  • salungoany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Tamil கடல் முள்ளெலி
  • கடல் முள்ளெலி (kaṭal muḷḷeli)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Thai เม่นทะเล, หอยเม่น
  • เม่นทะเล (mên-tá-lee)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • หอยเม่น (hɔ̌i-mên)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Turkish denizkestanesi
  • denizkestanesiany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Ukrainian морський їжак
  • морський їжак (morsʹkyj jižak)any of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Vietnamese cầu gai, nhím biển
  • cầu gaiany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • nhím biểnany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • nhumany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • nhum biểnany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Welsh môr-ddraenog, draenog môr
  • môr-ddraenogany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • draenog môrany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
  • ŵy môrany of many marine echinoderms of the class Echinoidea
Cite this entry
APA

sea urchin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sea%20urchin

MLA

“sea urchin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sea%20urchin. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sea urchin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sea%20urchin.

Source: sea urchin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.