eohippus

[ ee-oh-hip-uh s ]
/ ˌi oʊˈhɪp əs /

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.
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, eolian, eolic, eolipile, eolith, eolithic

Example sentences from the Web for eohippus

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

Scientific definitions for eohippus

eohippus
[ ē′ō-hĭp′əs ]

See hyracotherium.