equid

[ ek-wid ]

noun

1. equine:

   We are concerned with the question of why so many wild equids are threatened with extinction.

equid

/ ĕk′wĭd,ē′kwĭd /

1. Any of various hoofed mammals of the family Equidae, which includes horses, donkeys, and zebras. Equids have muscular bodies with long, slender legs adapted for running and a single hoofed digit at the end of each limb.

Word History and Origins

Origin of equid¹

First recorded in 1885–90; from New Latin Equidae, family name; equivalent to Latin equ(us) “horse” + -idae ( def )

Example Sentences

The texts describe complex animal husbandry programs devoted to breeding kungas from two separate species of equid, but they don’t detail what those species were and whether the resulting offspring was sterile.

From Science Magazine

One such image featured 21 dogs, two with leashes, surrounding an equid and its children.

From New York Times

“Quick question: why is the zebra stood on a load of CDs? Is it and attempt to protect the grass by spreading the equid’s weight, similar to wearing snow shoes? Intriguing summer’s cricket already.”

From The Guardian

It’s not an easy balance; the zebras—the rarest and largest equid species—face constant threats from poaching, habitat fragmentation and competition with livestock for food and water.

From Scientific American

The Przewalski’s horse has 66 chromosomes, the most of any equid species.

From Scientific American