hyracotherium

American  

[hahy-ruh-koh-theer-ee-uhm] / ˌhaɪ rə koʊˈθɪər i əm /

Also hyracothere

noun

hyracotheria plural

1. eohippus.

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hyracotherium Scientific  

/ hī′rə-kō-thîr′ē-əm /

hyracotheria plural

1. A small primitive horse that lived about 50 million years ago during the early Eocene Epoch. It had three or four hoofed toes on each foot and is considered by some to be the ancestor of modern horses. It is sometimes called the “dawn horse,” a translation of its earlier scientific name, Eohippus.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hyracotheria
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hyracotherium

< New Latin (1840): a genus name; see hyrax, -o-, -there