Rabbit Replaced an Older Word That Became Awkward
A rabbit is a burrowing mammal. The old English word coney fell out of use because of how it sounded.
A rabbit is a small burrowing mammal of the family Leporidae. *Rabbit* originally meant only the young animal; the adult was a *coney*. The older word faded in the nineteenth century largely because its traditional pronunciation had become an unfortunate homophone, and speakers quietly promoted rabbit to cover both.
- A burrowing mammal. *A wild rabbit.*
- To talk at length (British slang). *Stop rabbiting on.*
- Coney — the older word. *Coney Island.*
- Rabbit hole — a confusing digression. *Down the rabbit hole.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | rabbit | A tame rabbit. |
| Plural | rabbits | Wild rabbits. |
| Verb | rabbit | Rabbiting on. |
| Home | warren | A rabbit warren. |
| Related | hare | A brown hare. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Coney Island is named after rabbits.From the Dutch.
- Rabbits are born blind; hares are not.A key difference.
- Down the rabbit hole.From Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Rabbits and hares
- Rabbits — born blind and hairless, in burrows
- Hares — born furred and open-eyed, above ground
- Warren — a rabbit colony's tunnel system
- Form — a hare's shallow surface nest
- Leverets — young hares; young rabbits are kittens
From Old French *rabotte*, of uncertain origin, perhaps from a Walloon dialect word. *Coney* comes from Latin *cuniculus*.
Why did *coney* disappear?
Its traditional pronunciation had become an unfortunate homophone, and speakers avoided it. Rabbit, once only the young animal, took over.
Rabbit or hare?
Hares are larger with longer ears, live above ground, and their young are born fully furred and able to see.