equine

equine
equinely, adv.equinity, n.
/ee"kwuyn, ek"wuyn/, adj.
1. of, pertaining to, or resembling a horse: a bold, equine face.
n.
2. a horse.
[1770-80; < L equinus, equiv. to equ(us) horse + -inus -INE1]

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Any member of the ungulate family Equidae, which includes the modern horses, zebras, and asses, all in the genus Equus, as well as more than 60 species known only from fossils.

Equines descended from the dawn horse (see Eohippus). Wild horses, which once inhabited much of northern Eurasia, were smaller and had shorter legs than their domesticated descendants. See also Przewalski's horse.

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mammal
      one of the mammal family of Equidae (order Perissodactyla) that includes the modern horses, zebras, and asses, as well as more than 60 species known only from fossils.

      All six modern members of the family are placed in the genus Equus. Only the races of E. caballus (including the myriad domestic strains) are called horses; (horse) three species (E. zebra, E. burchelli, and E. grevyi) are called zebras; and two (E. asinus and E. hemionus) are usually called wild asses.

      Wild horses once inhabited much of northern Eurasia, primarily in open areas. They were rather small, short-legged animals, compared with their domesticated descendants, standing only about 120 to 130 cm (47 to 51 inches) at the shoulder. In the two millennia BC, horses from many wild populations were domesticated; often the remainder of the wild individuals were exterminated. By the early 19th century, two races were still extant: the tarpan (E. caballus caballus), found in eastern Europe until the middle of the century, and Przewalski's horse (E. caballus przewalskii, often considered a distinct species, E. przewalskii), which inhabited the remote steppe region between China and Mongolia.

      The North American wild horses are descendants of domestic horses that escaped or were released during the early colonial days. See also ass; horse; Przewalski's horse; tarpan; zebra.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Equine — E quine, a. [L. equinus, fr. equus horse; akin to Gr. ?, Skr. a?va, OS. ehu, AS. eh, eoh, Icel. j?r, OIr. ech, cf. Skr. a? to reach, overtake, perh. akin to E. acute, edge, eager, a. Cf. {Hippopotamus}.] Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a horse …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • equine — equine; equine·ly; …   English syllables

  • Equine — Equine, s. Pocken (der Haustiere) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • equine — (adj.) 1765, from L. equinus, from equus horse, from PIE root *ekwo horse (Cf. Gk. hippos, O.Ir. ech, O.E. eoh, Goth. aihwa , Skt. açva , Avestan aspa , O.C.S. ehu , all meaning horse ) …   Etymology dictionary

  • equine — ► ADJECTIVE 1) relating to horses or other members of the horse family. 2) resembling a horse. ► NOUN ▪ a horse or other member of the horse family. ORIGIN Latin equinus, from equus horse …   English terms dictionary

  • equine — [ē′kwīn΄; ] also [ e′kwīn΄] adj. [L equinus < equus: see EQUESTRIAN] of, like, or characteristic of a horse n. a horse …   English World dictionary

  • Équine — Cheval Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cheval (homonymie) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • équine — ● équin, équine adjectif (latin equinus) Relatif au cheval. Se dit d un pied atteint d équinisme. équin, équine [ekɛ̃, ekin] adj. ÉTYM. Av. 1502; lat. equinus, de equus « cheval ». ❖ …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • equine — Relating to, derived from, or resembling the horse, mule, ass, or other members of the genus Equus. [L. equinus, fr. equus, horse] * * * equine ē .kwīn, ek .wīn n a member of the family Equidae esp HORSE equine adj * * * (eґkwīn) [L. equus a …   Medical dictionary

  • equine — e|quine [ i,kwaın, e,kwaın ] adjective relating to horses: an outbreak of equine fever a. looking like a horse: equine features …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • equine — [[t]e̱kwaɪn, AM i͟ːk [/t]] ADJ: ADJ n Equine means connected with or relating to horses. The event has been cancelled this spring due to the outbreak of equine influenza in the stables …   English dictionary

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