edible sea urchin

6.0

A small sea animal with spikes whose soft parts people eat, like uni

noun
/ˈɛdɪbəl si ɜrˈtʃɪn/

: erizo de mar comestible

In Japan, edible sea urchin roe, known as uni, is considered a delicacy.

Examples

Divers harvest edible sea urchin along rocky coastlines to supply high-end restaurants.
The chef prepared a delicate dish using fresh edible sea urchin from the local market.
The edible sea urchin is a delicacy in many coastal regions.
Many chefs love to use edible sea urchins in their dishes.
In Japan, edible sea urchin roe, known as uni, is considered a delicacy.
The chef prepared a delicate dish using fresh edible sea urchin from the local market.
Divers harvest edible sea urchin along rocky coastlines to supply high-end restaurants.

Synonyms

urchin

vsedible sea urchin

14 4.9

A small sea animal with a round spiny shell on the ocean floor

is about types chosen and prepared for eating

sea urchin

vsedible sea urchin

8 4.2

A small round sea animal with sharp spines that lives on rocks

is about kinds that are suitable for eating and often harvested

Echinus esculentus

vsedible sea urchin

Specialized

9.9

A sea urchin you can eat that lives in the northeast Atlantic and nearby seas

is a general category covering types suitable for culinary use

Surface Forms

edible sea urchin singular

edible sea urchins plural

Morphology

edible + sea + urchin

The meaning 'a sea urchin suitable for eating' is directly and compositionally derived from 'edible' (suitable to be eaten) + 'sea' (saltwater) + 'urchin' (spiny marine animal). This is a straightforward adjective + noun/noun compound pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Edible sea urchin names the spiky, round sea animal and is made of the words sea and urchin, where an urchin is a small, spiky creature whose soft orange eggs people eat. So edible sea urchin means a sea urchin 'safe to eat'.