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Glite Dictionary
dawn horse

dawn horse

9.9
A small extinct animal like an early horse about the size of a dog with four toes
  • noun
  • /dɔn hɔrs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : caballo del amanecer
  • Fossils of the dawn horse reveal its small size and multiple toes.

Examples

  • The dawn horse was an early ancestor of modern horses.

  • Did you know that the dawn horse lived during the Eocene epoch?

  • Scientists study the evolution of the horse from the dawn horse to modern breeds.

  • The dawn horse roamed the ancient forests over 50 million years ago.

  • Fossils of the dawn horse reveal its small size and multiple toes.

  • Scientists study the evolution of the horse from the dawn horse to modern breeds.

  • The dawn horse roamed the ancient forests over 50 million years ago.

Synonyms

eohippus
vsdawn horse
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small extinct animal with four toes that is an early horse relative

is the common name used for that primitive early horse form
Hyracotherium
vsdawn horse
  • Specialized
9.9

A small extinct animal that was an early ancestor of horses

is the common informal name for that early genus of ancestral horses

Surface Forms

dawn horse singular
dawn horses plural

Morphology

dawn + horse

The compound is compositional: 'dawn' (beginning/early phase) combined with 'horse' clearly conveys an early or primitive horse (i.e. an ancestor). While full scientific details (Eocene, size, genus) are technical, a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer it refers to an early/first kind of horse.

Etymology

Dawn horse comes from the idea of a horse at the very start of horse history, with dawn meaning first light and horse meaning the animal. It refers to a very small, long-ago horse with several toes, so the name helps us remember it is the 'first' or 'earliest' kind of horse.