foal
foal Lexical Profile
foal Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A young horse, donkey, or other equine mammal of the family Equidae, especially one that is under one year old.
"Within an hour of birth, the newborn foal stood on its wobbly legs and began nursing alongside the mare."
• verb
To give birth to a foal (of a mare or other female equine).
"The veterinarian stayed at the stable overnight because the prize thoroughbred was expected to foal before dawn."
Word Nuance & Usage
In equestrian terminology, 'foal' is a gender-neutral term for a horse under one year of age; a young male is specifically called a 'colt', while a young female is a 'filly'.
• Rhymes for foal
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'fola', of Proto-Germanic origin and ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'young of an animal', making it cognate with Latin 'pullus' (from which 'pullet' and 'poultry' derive).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.