Caprine

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈkæpˌɹaɪn/

Definitions

1. Relating to or resembling goats, particularly in terms of behavior and physical characteristics, or pertaining to the family of animals that includes goats and sheep
2. Describing attributes or features associated with goats, often in comparison to other animals, or belonging to the group known for such mammals
3. Involving traits that are typical of goats, whether in appearance, behavior, or classification among similar mammalian species

Etymology: Latin "caprīnus" meant "of a goat," built from "caper," the goat itself, and English borrowed the adjective directly from it. The Latin root is also the source of "capricorn," whose "corn" is a later English alteration of Latin "cornu," meaning "horn," so the goat-horned sign carries the same ancient animal name. Its most modern use is taxonomic. Biologists use "Caprinae" as the name of the goat-antelope subfamily, which includes goats, sheep and their relatives, and "caprine" came to be used in a looser sense for anything belonging to that group. The adjective thus began as a plain Latin descriptor of goats and was later extended to a whole family of animals.