Definition

1. Noun:

   • A young horse, especially one that is less than one year old.
   • The young of a donkey or other equine animal.

2. Verb:

   • To give birth to a foal (used for a mare or other equine female).

Examples

• Noun: The mare stood protectively over her newborn foal. We went to the farm to see the foals in the spring pasture.

• Verb: The champion mare is expected to foal next month. The donkey foaled a healthy baby last night.

Advanced Usage

• "In foal": An adjective phrase describing a female horse (mare) that is pregnant.
• "To foal down": A less common phrasal verb meaning to give birth to a foal.

Variants and Related Words

• Foaling (n): The act or process of giving birth to a foal.
• Foalhood (n): The state or time of being a foal (rarely used).
• Colt: A young male horse, specifically.
• Filly: A young female horse, specifically.

Synonyms

• Noun: Young horse, colt, filly.
• Verb: Give birth (for equines), deliver.

Related Phrases

• "Straight from the foal's mouth": A playful variation of the idiom "straight from the horse's mouth," meaning information from the most authoritative source. (This is a humorous, non-standard usage.)

Notes on Usage

• As a noun, "foal" is a general term for a young equine. More specific terms like "colt" (male) or "filly" (female) are often used when the sex is known.
• The verb "to foal" is used almost exclusively for horses, donkeys, and similar animals. For other animals, verbs like "calve" (cows) or "lamb" (sheep) are used.

Noun

1. a young horse

Verb

1. give birth to a foal
   • the mare foaled