I. ˈha(a)](ə)r, ˈhe], ]ə\ noun
( plural hares also hare )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hara; akin to Old High German haso hare, Old Norse heri, Welsh ceinach, Sanskrit śaśa hare, Old English hasu gray, Old High German hasan, Old Norse höss gray, Latin canus gray, white, hoary
1.
a. : any of various timid long-eared gnawing mammals (order Lagomorpha) with a divided upper lip, long strong hind legs adapted to leaping, and a short cocked tail that have soft usually gray or brown fur turning white in some northern species in winter, usually live in the open, feed chiefly on vegetation and bark, bear furred young with eyes open at birth, and are native to most parts of the world except Central and So. America, Australia, and Madagascar — compare cottontail , jackrabbit , rabbit
b. : the fur or pelt of a hare often sheared and dyed to imitate more valuable furs
c. : a member of the family Leporidae — often used with a qualifying term
African rock hare
Asiatic harsh-furred hare
d. : an animal resembling a true hare in appearance or behavior
2.
a. : one that is likened to a hare: as
(1) : a ridiculous person : fool
made a hare of him one time in my column — Sean O'Faolain
(2) : the object of pursuit in a game of hare and hounds
a flushed little hare bounds past us, distributing the paper scent in his course — W.H.Rideine
(3) slang Britain : a passenger traveling without a ticket
the conductor came round and searched under the seats for hares — Stephen Graham
b. : a topic for discussion or pursuit
first raised this hare about the decline of the novel — Harold Nicolson
3. usually capitalized
a. : an Athapaskan people west and northwest of Great Bear Lake, Canada
b. : a member of such people
c. : the language of the Hare people
II. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to move swiftly : run
scrambled down the wall and hared along the lane, my heart in my mouth — James Edwards
— often used with off
whichever team is called turns about and hares off for base — J.B.Pick
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: probably alteration of harry (I)
archaic : to tease or harass especially by frightening