equine
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
-
of, relating to, or resembling a horse
-
of, relating to, or belonging to the family Equidae, which comprises horses, zebras, and asses
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of equine
First recorded in 1770–80; from Latin equīnus, equivalent to equ(us) “horse” + -īnus adjective suffix; see -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.
Vocabulary lists containing equine
Horsin' Around
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A Lexical Zoo of Animal Adjectives
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Animal Adjectives
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There is even the European Horse Network, whose meetings with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen -- a well-known equine enthusiast -- were criticised by Corporate Europe Observatory for violating the commission's code of conduct.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Although equine influenza upset life for only a few weeks in each of the many communities it struck, Mr. Dugatkin contends that it triggered major changes in medicine, transportation and animal rights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Saulque and Kauk are part of an Indigenous-led coalition that has sought to help manage the horses that they call “family,” proposing to run a pack station and orchestrate equine therapy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
He has been studying equine therapy and helping train Rusty.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
They were plainly out of the question, Yossarian explained adamantly to Sergeant Towser, whose sallow equine face was despondent as he informed Yossarian that the new officers would have to be admitted.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
