---
title: echidna — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «echidna» in the school dictionary: An echidna is a small spiny animal from Australia and New Guinea that eats ants and termites with a long sticky tongue. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# echidna

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** echidna, New Guinea, It, only mammals, Echidnas, We · **What happens:** be, eat, lay, cover, curl up, lick up · **To what, where:** small spiny animal, Australia, ants, one, eggs, monster · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«echidna» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 8 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [echidna in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/echidna.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An echidna is a small spiny animal from Australia and New Guinea that eats ants and termites with a long sticky tongue.

<!-- fold The tree, 22 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:echidna:m1:1
# text = An echidna is a small spiny animal from Australia and New Guinea that eats ants and termites with a long sticky tongue.
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	echidna	echidna	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
5	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
6	spiny	spiny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	Australia	Australia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
11	New	New	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	Guinea	guinea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	_
13	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	14	nsubj	_	_
14	eats	eat	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	acl:relcl	_	_
15	ants	ant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	obj	_	_
16	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	17	cc	_	_
17	termites	termite	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	conj	_	_
18	with	with	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
19	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
20	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	22	amod	_	_
21	sticky	sticky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	22	amod	_	_
22	tongue	tongue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a echidna | a small spiny animal |  | Australia and New Guinea |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **eat** | present | New Guinea | ants and termites |  |  |  | with a long sticky tongue | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent ant=Patient |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is one of the only mammals that lay eggs, together with the platypus.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:echidna:m2:1
# text = It is one of the only mammals that lay eggs, together with the platypus.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	only	only	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	mammals	mammal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
8	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
9	lay	lay	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
10	eggs	egg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
12	together	together	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
13	with	with	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	platypus	platypus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | It | one |  |  |  | of the only mammals | tree rules |
| 2 | **lay** | present | the only mammals | eggs |  |  |  | with the platypus; together *property* | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent egg=Result |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In Greek myths, Echidna was a monster, half woman and half serpent.

<!-- fold The tree, 12 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:echidna:m3:1
# text = In Greek myths, Echidna was a monster, half woman and half serpent.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	Greek	Greek	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	myths	myth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	Echidna	Echidna	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	monster	monster	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	half	half	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Frac	11	amod	_	_
11	woman	woman	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	appos	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
13	half	half	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing|NumForm=Word|NumType=Frac	14	compound	_	_
14	serpent	serpent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | Echidna | a monster |  | Greek myths |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An echidna is covered in sharp spines.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:echidna:x1:1
# text = An echidna is covered in sharp spines.
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	echidna	echidna	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	covered	cover	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	sharp	sharp	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	spines	spine	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cover** | present · passive |  | a echidna |  |  |  | in sharp spines | vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: subject=Destination in spine=Theme |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The echidna curled up into a spiky ball.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:echidna:x2:1
# text = The echidna curled up into a spiky ball.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	echidna	echidna	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	curled	curl	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	up	up	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
5	into	into	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	spiky	spiky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	ball	ball	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **curl up** | participle |  | the echidna *not said here* |  | a spiky ball |  |  | vn coil-9.6-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme into ball=Destination |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Echidnas lay eggs, but they are still mammals.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:echidna:x3:1
# text = Echidnas lay eggs, but they are still mammals.
1	Echidnas	echidna	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	lay	lay	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	eggs	egg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
5	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
6	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	still	still	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	mammals	mammal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lay** | present | Echidnas | eggs |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent egg=Result |
| 2 | **is a** | present | Echidnas *= echidna* | mammals |  |  | still |  | tree rules |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It licks up ants with its long, sticky tongue.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:echidna:x4:1
# text = It licks up ants with its long, sticky tongue.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	licks	lick	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	up	up	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	ants	ant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
6	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
7	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
9	sticky	sticky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	tongue	tongue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lick up** | present | It | ants |  |  |  | with its long sticky tongue | vn touch-20-1 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent ant=Experiencer with tongue=Instrument |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A baby echidna is called a puggle.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:echidna:x5:1
# text = A baby echidna is called a puggle.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	baby	baby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	echidna	echidna	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	called	call	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	puggle	puggle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **call** | present · passive |  | a baby echidna |  |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: subject=Recipient |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We saw an echidna crossing the bush track.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:echidna:x6:1
# text = We saw an echidna crossing the bush track.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	saw	see	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	echidna	echidna	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	crossing	cross	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	acl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	bush	bush	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	track	track	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **see** | past | We | a echidna |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer echidna=Stimulus |
| 2 | **cross** | gerund | a echidna *not said here* | the bush track |  |  |  |  | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent track=Patient |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Echidnas live in Australia and New Guinea.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:echidna:x7:1
# text = Echidnas live in Australia and New Guinea.
1	Echidnas	echidna	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	live	live	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	Australia	Australia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
6	New	New	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	Guinea	Guinea	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **live** | present | Echidnas |  |  | Australia and New Guinea |  |  | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in australia=Location |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
\[48\] Echidna was a bloodthirsty monster, half maiden, half serpent.

<!-- fold The tree, 10 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:echidna:x8:1
# text = [48] Echidna was a bloodthirsty monster, half maiden, half serpent.
1	[	[	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	48	48	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	4	nummod	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	]	]	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	2	punct	_	_
4	Echidna	Echidna	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
5	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	bloodthirsty	bloodthirsty	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	monster	monster	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	half	half	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Frac	11	advmod	_	_
11	maiden	maiden	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
13	half	half	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Frac	14	amod	_	_
14	serpent	serpent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | 48 Echidna | a bloodthirsty monster |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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