n.
Pronunciation: ' ra-b ə t
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural rabbit or rabbits
Usage: often attrib
Etymology: Middle English rabet, probably from Middle French dialect (Walloon) robett, from obsolete or dialect Dutch robbe, robbeken; probably akin to Middle Low German robbe seal, East Frisian rubben to scratch, rub ― more at RUB
Date: 14th century
1 : any of a family (Leporidae) of long-eared short-tailed lagomorph mammals with long hind legs: a : any of various lagomorphs that are born furless, blind, and helpless, that are sometimes gregarious, and that include especially the cottontails of the New World and a small Old World mammal ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) that is the source of various domestic breeds b : HARE
2 : the pelt of a rabbit
3 : WELSH RABBIT
4 a : a figure of a rabbit sped mechanically along the edge of a dog track as an object of pursuit b : a runner in a long-distance race who sets a fast pace for the field in the first part of the race
– rab · bity \ -b ə -t ē \ adjective