horse

¹horse

noun \ˈhȯrs\

plural hors·es also horse

Definition of HORSE

1

a (1) : a large solid-hoofed herbivorous ungulate mammal (Equus caballus, family Equidae, the horse family) domesticated since prehistoric times and used as a beast of burden, a draft animal, or for riding (2) : racehorse <play the horses>

b : a male horse; especially : stallion

c : a recent or extinct animal (as a zebra, ass, or onager) of the horse family

2

a : jackstay

b : a frame usually with legs used for supporting something (as planks or staging)

c (1) : pommel horse (2) : vaulting horse

3

horse plural : cavalry

4

: a mass of the same geological character as the wall rock occurring within a vein

5

: horsepower

6

slang : heroin

7

: an athlete whose performance is consistently strong and reliable <a team with the horses to win the pennant>

8

or H-O-R-S-E : a game in which players take turns attempting to duplicate successful basketball shots, a letter of the word "horse" is awarded for each missed attempt, and the first player to receive all five letters loses

— horse·less \ˈhȯr-sləs\ adjective

— horse·like \ˈhȯrs-ˌlīk\ adjective

— from the horse's mouth

: from the original source

Examples of HORSE

1. a car with 275 horses
2. He lost a lot of money on the horses.

Illustration of HORSE

Origin of HORSE

Middle English hors, from Old English; akin to Old High German hros horse

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to HORSE

Synonyms

equine, nag, steed

Related Words

equid; colt, filly, foal, gelding, mare, stallion; bronco, mustang, pony; charger, courser, cow pony, cutting horse, galloper, hack, hackney, mount, packhorse, prancer, quarter horse, racehorse, saddle horse, trotter, warhorse, workhorse; bay, black, buckskin, chestnut, dun, palomino, pinto, roan, skewbald, sorrel; cob, dobbin, jade, plug, skate

Other Equestrian Terms

canter, cantle, curry, farrier, hunter, paddock, router, skirt, tack

²horse

verb

horsedhors·ing

Definition of HORSE

transitive verb

1

: to provide with a horse

2

: to move by brute force

intransitive verb

of a mare : to be in heat

First Known Use of HORSE

before 12th century

³horse

adjective

Definition of HORSE

1

a : of or relating to a horse

b : hauled or powered by a horse <a horse barge>

2

: large or coarse of its kind

3

: mounted on horses <horse guards>

First Known Use of HORSE

15th century

Other Equestrian Terms

canter, cantle, curry, farrier, hunter, paddock, router, skirt, tack

horse

noun \ˈhȯ(ə)rs\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural hors·es also horse

Medical Definition of HORSE

: a large solid-hoofed herbivorous mammal of the genus Equus (E. caballus) domesticated since prehistoric times

Illustration of HORSE

horse

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

External features of a horse.—© Merriam-Webster Inc.

Equine species (Equus caballus) long used by humans as a means of transport and as a draft animal. Its earliest ancestor was the dawn horse (see Eohippus). The only living horse not descended from the domestic horse is Przewalski's horse. The horse was apparently first domesticated by nomadic peoples of Central Asia in the 3rd millennium BC. For many centuries horses were primarily used in warfare. The saddle was introduced in China in the first centuries AD. Horses were reintroduced to the New World, after wild horses had become extinct there some 10,000 years earlier, by the Spanish in the 16th century. A mature male is called a stallion or, if used for breeding, a stud; mature females are called mares. A castrated stallion is called a gelding. Young horses (foals) are also known as colts (males) and fillies (females). A horse's height is measured in 4-in. (10.2-cm) units, or hands, from the highest point of the back (withers) to the ground. Breeds are classified by size and build: draft (heavy) horses (e.g., Belgian, Percheron) are heavy-limbed and up to 20 hands high; ponies (e.g., Shetland, Iceland) are less than 14.2 hands high; and light horses (e.g., Arabian, Thoroughbred) are intermediate, rarely taller than 17 hands.