Meaning & use
equid
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountabletechnicalbiology
A mammal of the horse family, which includes horses, donkeys, and zebras.
Grammar: Countable; use 'an equid' for one animal and 'equids' for several.
Patterns
- a wild equid
- domestic equids
- equids in the wild
The zoo recently acquired two equids: a zebra and a donkey.
Wild equids such as the Przewalski's horse are endangered in many regions.
Researchers studied the social behavior of equids in the savanna.
Word forms
| plural | equids |
|---|
Common combinations
- wild equid
- The wild equid roamed freely across the steppe.
- domestic equid
- Domestic equids like horses have been bred for centuries.
- equid species
- There are several equid species, including zebras and asses.
- fossil equid
- Paleontologists discovered a fossil equid in the badlands.
Synonyms and how they differ
- equine
- Equine is usually an adjective meaning 'relating to horses', but it can also be a noun for a horse; equid is more specific to the scientific family and includes donkeys and zebras.
- horse
- Horse refers specifically to Equus caballus, while equid is a broader term covering all members of the family.
Word family
Commonly confused: equid or equine?
equid vs equine
Equine is an adjective meaning 'of or relating to horses', while equid is a noun for any animal in the horse family. You would say 'equine medicine' but 'a wild equid'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'equid' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Equid refers to a member of the horse family, which includes zebras and donkeys. Option An and D are wrong because equids are not birds or rodents. Option B is grammatically possible but less precise because 'equid' is a technical term; in everyday speech you would say 'horse' or 'donkey'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “equid”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.