horse family

[ hawrs fam-uh-lee, fam-lee ]

noun

1. the animal family Equidae, once comprised of more than 40 genera and now represented by one surviving genus, Equus : noted as capable runners with muscular bodies and long legs, Equus members include horses, donkeys, zebras, and all their subspecies and hybrids.

Word History and Origins

Origin of horse family¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

But the DNA evidence suggested that was wrong, as Botai horses were on a different branch of the horse family tree than modern horses, they reported last year in Science.

From Science Magazine

And zebras, which belong to the horse family, are pretty special, as you’ll discover below.

From Washington Post

Despite that proximity to horse country, Kieffer’s family was not a horse family; her father was an enduro-dirt-bike racer.

From The New Yorker

For instance, in many monogamous species, such as animals in the dog or horse family, males and females are the same size.

From National Geographic

In the same sand layer as the elephant's tusk researchers have found the remains of an extinct jaguar, oryx and a member of the horse family.

From BBC