||E*chi"nus (?), n.; pl.
Echini (#). [L., a hedgehog, sea urchin, Gr.
'echi^nos.] 1. (Zoöl.) A
hedgehog.
2. (Zoöl.) A genus of
echinoderms, including the common edible sea urchin of
Europe.
3. (Arch.) (a) The
rounded molding forming the bell of the capital of the Grecian Doric
style, which is of a peculiar elastic curve. See
Entablature. (b) The quarter-round
molding (ovolo) of the Roman Doric style. See Illust. of
Column (c) A name sometimes given
to the egg and anchor or egg and dart molding, because that ornament
is often identified with the Roman Doric capital. The name probably
alludes to the shape of the shell of the sea urchin.