hyracotherium

[ hahy-ruh-koh-theer-ee-uh m ]
/ ˌhaɪ rə koʊˈθɪər i əm /

noun, plural hy·ra·co·the·ri·a [hahy-ruh-koh-theer-ee-uh] /ˌhaɪ rə koʊˈθɪər i ə/

Also hy·ra·co·there [hahy-ruh-koh-theer] /ˈhaɪ rə koʊˌθɪər/.

Origin of hyracotherium

< New Latin (1840): a genus name; see hyrax, -o-, -there

Words nearby hyracotherium

Example sentences from the Web for hyracotherium

Scientific definitions for hyracotherium

hyracotherium
[ hī′rə-kō-thîrē-əm ]

Plural hyracotheria

A small primitive horse that lived about 50 million years ago during the early Eocene Epoch. It had three or four hoofed toes on each foot and is considered by some to be the ancestor of modern horses. It is sometimes called the “dawn horse,” a translation of its earlier scientific name, Eohippus.