rabbit definition - Dictionary

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rabbit

rab·bit [ rábbit ]

noun (plural rab·bits or rab·bit)

Definition:

1. zoology small furry animal: a small burrowing animal with long ears, soft fur, and a short tail. Rabbits are commonly kept as pets. Family Leporidae.

2. zoology hare: a word used inaccurately to refer to a hare ( informal )

3. industry rabbit fur: the fur of a rabbit, used to make hats and other accessories

4. food rabbit flesh: the meat of a rabbit

5. pacesetter in race: a long-distance runner who sets a fast pace for a stronger teammate in the early part of a race

6. device that racing greyhounds chase: a mechanical device that greyhounds chase at a racetrack

intransitive verb (past and past participle rab·bit·ed, present participle rab·bit·ing, 3rd person present singular rab·bits)

Definition:

hunt rabbits: to go hunting for wild rabbits

[14th century. Probably < Old French< Middle Dutch or Low German robbe]

rab·bit·er noun

Cultural Note


	Rabbit, Run, a novel (1960) by John Updike. It depicts the disastrous attempts of Harry Rabbit Angstrom to flee an unhappy marriage and the responsibilities of adulthood. Updike continued Harry's story in three subsequent novels, Rabbit Redux (1971), Rabbit is Rich (1981), and Rabbit at Rest (1990), creating a tetralogy that highlights sexual and moral confusion in late 20th-century American society.