Echdna

Definition of Echdna
Echidna, a fabulous monster that figures in the Greek mythology, half-woman, half-serpent, the mother of Cerberus, the Lernean Hydra, the Chimæra, the Sphinx, the Gorgons, the Nemean Lion, the vulture that gnawed the liver of Prometheus, &c.
- Wikipedia
E*chid"na (&esl;*k&ibreve;d"n&adot;), n. [L., a viper, adder, Gr. 'e`chidna.] 1. (Gr. Myth.) A monster, half maid and half serpent.
2. (Zoöl.) A genus of Monotremata found in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. They are toothless and covered with spines; -- called also porcupine ant-eater, and Australian ant-eater.
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913)