eohippus

[ ee-oh-hip-uhs ]

/ ˌi oʊˈhɪp əs /

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noun

the earliest known horse, a member of the extinct genus Hyracotherium (Eohippus), from the early Eocene Epoch of the Northern Hemisphere; a terrier-sized herbivore having four hoofed toes on each forefoot and three on each hind foot, and low-crowned teeth.

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Also called dawn horse, hyracotherium, hyracothere .

Origin of eohippus

1875–80; <New Latin, equivalent to eo-eo- + Greek híppos horse

Words nearby eohippus

EOD, EOE, EOF, EOG, Eogene, eohippus, eo ipso, Eolian, Eolic, eolipile, eolith

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use eohippus in a sentence

The oldest of these creatures that lead to the horses is called Eohippus or beginning horse.
Young Folks' Library, Volume XI (of 20)|Various
He would not be more astonished than would the ancient Eohippus on meeting with a modern dray-horse.
Theism or Atheism|Chapman Cohen
He had framed out another plan for the little eohippus—namely, to give him to Miss Ellinor.
Bransford of Rainbow Range|Eugene Manlove Rhodes
The earliest stage that we can trace with certainty, in this line of descent, is found in the eohippus of Marsh.
Evolution|Joseph Le Conte

Orohippus was but little larger than Eohippus, and in most other respects very similar.
Darwinism (1889)|Alfred Russel Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for eohippus

eohippus

/ (ˌiːəʊˈhɪpəs) /

noun plural -puses

the earliest horse: an extinct Eocene dog-sized animal of the genus with four-toed forelegs, three-toed hindlegs, and teeth specialized for browsing

Word Origin for eohippus

C19: New Latin, from eo- + Greek hippos horse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for eohippus

eohippus

[ ē′ō-hĭp′əs ]

See hyracotherium.