echid·noph·a·ga \ˌēˌkidˈnäfəgə, ˌeˌ-\noun Usage: capitalized Etymology: New Latin, probably from echidno- (from Greek, from echidna) + -phaga (feminine of -phagus -phagous, from Greek -phagos) : a genus comprising fowl fleas (as the sticktight flea) of which the female remains attached to the host