Meanings
nounsonic hedgehog (uncountable)
- capitalizedsometimesuncountablebiochemistryA morphogenic protein that controls cell division of adult stem cells and has been implicated in the development of some cancers.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Named after the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog, in reference to the hedgehog signalling pathway, itself from sonic (Japanese ソニック (Sonikku)).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 音猬因子
- 音猬因子protein
Finnish sonic hedgehog
- sonic hedgehogprotein
German Sonic hedgehog
- Sonic hedgehogprotein
Japanese ソニック・ヘッジホッグ
- ソニック・ヘッジホッグprotein
Cite this entry
APA
sonic hedgehog. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sonic%20hedgehog
MLA
“sonic hedgehog.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sonic%20hedgehog. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sonic hedgehog,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sonic%20hedgehog.
Source: sonic hedgehog on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.