equine

American  

[ee-kwahyn, ek-wahyn] / ˈi kwaɪn, ˈɛk waɪn /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a horse or other member of the horse family.

   a bold, equine face.

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noun

1. Also called equid.  a horse or other member of the horse family.

   Her draft horses and mules are some of the finest equines we’ve ever seen.

equine British  

/ ˈɛkwaɪn /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a horse

2. of, relating to, or belonging to the family Equidae, which comprises horses, zebras, and asses

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equine Scientific  

/ ē′kwīn′,ĕk′wīn′ /

1. Characteristic of or resembling horses or related animals, such as donkeys.

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Other Word Forms

• equinely adverb
• equinity noun
• unequine adjective

Etymology

Origin of equine

First recorded in 1770–80; from Latin equīnus, equivalent to equ(us) “horse” + -īnus adjective suffix; -ine ¹

Explanation

Equine means having to do with horses. An equine saddle is one used for a horse, as opposed to one for a camel. An equine face is a horse face, and no, that's not a very nice thing to say. Equine is connected to words that refer to animals—bovine means having to do with cows, porcine pigs, feline cats, canine dogs, etc. Many young girls go through an equine phase, where they are obsessed with all things horse—books, dolls, images, and, last but not least, actual horseback riding.

Example Sentences

“A lot of times what the public thinks is the best thing to do, is not, if you understand equine physiology and understand equine health and veterinary care,” she added.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026

Conjugated equine estrogen—made from the urine of horses and used in the WHI study—decreases breast-cancer risk in postmenopausal women when used without progesterone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025

You may have heard of the Horse Girl: the adolescent female obsessed with beasts of the equine variety, the girl who watches National Velvet on repeat and begs her parents for riding lessons.

From Slate • Oct. 1, 2025

David Collings of Hampshire Horse Watch, which liaises between the local equine community and police, said the theft was "very disturbing" but admitted it had "no ideas" where the ponies might be.

From BBC • Jul. 31, 2025

Pulling his chariot were four horses made of wind, each constantly shifting from equine to human form, trying to break free.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan