🇫🇷French Source WordCode: FR

oursin

Pronunciation / Transliteration: ur-zan

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Urchin/ˈɜːr.tʃɪn/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #1500 frequency
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🇫🇷 Example Sentence in French:

"Le plongeur a trouvé un oursin coloré caché parmi les rochers."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A small, spiny marine animal of the class Echinoidea, typically found on the ocean floor.

    "The diver discovered a colorful urchin hiding among the rocks."
  2. 2

    A mischievous child, often used in a somewhat affectionate manner.

    "The little urchin ran through the streets, laughing and playing with friends."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The word 'urchin' originates from Middle English 'urchin', derived from the Old French 'herichon', which means 'hedgehog'. The term evolved to refer to a young child, particularly one who is mischievous or playful, and later came to denote a specific type of marine animal, the sea urchin, due to its spiny appearance resembling that of a hedgehog.

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