Equus (genus)

Equus (genus)

Equus is a genus of animals in the family Equidae that includes horses, donkeys, and zebras. Within Equidae, Equus is the only extant genus. Like Equidae more broadly, Equus has numerous extinct species known only from fossils. This article deals primarily with the extant species.

The term equine refers to any member of this genus, including any horse. The word comes from Latin equus, "horse", cognate with Greek "ἵππος" (hippos), Ionic "ἴκκος" (ikkos), "horse" (the earliest attested form of the word is the Mycenaean Greek i-qo, written in Linear B syllabic script).