small nocturnal Old World mammal covered with both hair and protective spines
"The curious child gently reached out to touch the tiny hedgehog rolling in the moonlight, marveling at how its soft fur hid beneath a coat of sharp, protective spines."
A small mammal, of the family Erinaceidae or subfamily Erinaceinae ( spiny hedgehogs, the latter characterized by their spiny back and often by the habit of rolling up into a ball when attacked.)
"When I stepped on the garden hose this morning, I accidentally woke up the baby hedgehog curled up in a tight ball under the rose bush."
To make use of a hedgehog barricade as a defensive maneuver.
"The security team decided to deploy a row of sharpened logs around the perimeter, effectively hedging against any potential breach attempts."
The word hedgehog comes from Middle English, combining "hedge" and "hog." It replaced earlier native terms borrowed from Old French and Old English.