I. ˈra-bət noun
( plural rabbit or rabbits )
Usage: often attributive
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 -bə-tē adjective
II. intransitive verb
Date: 1846
: to hunt rabbits
• rab·bit·er noun