urchin

Definition

A mischievous child.

Etymology

From Middle English yrchoun, irchoun (“hedgehog; sea urchin”), from Old Northern French irechon, from Vulgar Latin *ērīciōnem, from Latin ērīcius. Compare modern French hérisson, whence the English doublet herisson.

Example Sentences

• "And like these fresh green things were the dozens of babies, tots, toddlers, noisy urchins, laughing girls, a whole multitude of children of one family. For Collier Brandt, the father of all this numerous progeny, was a Mormon with four wives."
• "And the urchins that stand with their thievish eyes / Forever on watch ran off each with a prize."
• "Here we have a carding-engine, with the drum surmounted with urchin or squirrel cards[…]"