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Rabbit

//ˈɹæbɪt// name, noun, verb

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    The fourth of the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
Noun
  1. 1
    A mammal of most genera of the family Leporidae, with long ears, long hind legs and a short, fluffy tail. countable, uncountable

    "The pioneers survived by eating the small game they could get: rabbits, squirrels and occasionally a raccoon."

  2. 2
    any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food wordnet
  3. 3
    The meat from this animal. uncountable

    "She was cooking rabbit stew for dinner."

  4. 4
    flesh of any of various rabbits or hares (wild or domesticated) eaten as food wordnet
  5. 5
    The fur of a rabbit typically used to imitate another animal's fur. uncountable
Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    the fur of a rabbit wordnet
  2. 7
    A runner in a distance race whose goal is mainly to set the pace, either to tire a specific rival so that a teammate can win or to help another break a record; a pacesetter. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    A very poor batsman, selected as a bowler or wicket-keeper. countable, uncountable
  4. 9
    A batsman who is frequently dismissed by the same bowler (said to be that player's rabbit). countable, uncountable

    "Glenn McGrath dismissed Michael Atherton a record 19 times; hence Atherton is McGrath's rabbit."

  5. 10
    A large element at the beginning of a list of items to be bubble sorted, and thus tending to be quickly swapped into its correct position. Compare turtle. countable, uncountable
  6. 11
    Rarebit; Welsh rabbit or a similar dish: melted cheese served atop toast. countable, uncountable

    "The cheese mixture may be served with toast on the side or poured on top of toast and grilled until golden brown and bubbling. Other variations include Buck rabbit, a Welsh rabbit with a poached egg on top, and Yorkshire rabbit with bacon ..."

  7. 12
    A pneumatically-controlled tool used to insert small samples of material inside the core of a nuclear reactor. countable, uncountable

    "This rabbit is constructed such that only that fraction of the beam that passes through the 15g-in. diameter target container reaches the Faraday cup behind the rabbit."

  8. 13
    A vibrator with a shaft and a clitoral stimulator usually shaped like a rabbit's ears. countable, uncountable

    "Rabbits come in many forms/In colors, shapes and sizes./ They satisfy a lady's needs,/Indulging her sweet vices."

Verb
  1. 1
    To hunt rabbits. intransitive
  2. 2
    To talk incessantly and in a childish manner; to babble annoyingly. British, intransitive

    "Stop your infernal rabbiting! Use proper words or nobody will listen to you!"

  3. 3
    Confound; damn; drat.

    "LORD D. There, Dick, d'ye hear how the tutorer talks? oh rabbit it! he can ladle you out of latin by the quart;—and grunts greek like a pig."

  4. 4
    hunt rabbits wordnet
  5. 5
    To flee. US, intransitive

    "The informant seemed skittish, as if he was about to rabbit."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English rabet, rabette, from Anglo-Latin rabettus, from dialectal Old French rabotte, probably a diminutive of Middle Dutch or West Flemish robbe (“rabbit, seal”), of uncertain origin; possibly some imitative verb, maybe robben, rubben (“to rub”) is used here to allude to a characteristic of the animal. See rub. Related forms include Middle French rabouillet (“baby rabbit”) and in French rabot (“plane”)), coming via Walloon Old French (reflected nowadays as Walloon robète (“rabbit”)), from Middle Dutch robbe ("rabbit; seal"; whence Modern Dutch rob (“rabbit", also "seal”)); also Middle Low German robbe, rubbe (“rabbit”), and the later German Low German Rubbe, Robb (“seal”), West Frisian robbe (“seal”), Saterland Frisian Rubbe (“seal”), North Frisian rob (“seal”), borrowed into German Robbe (“seal”). Meant "young rabbit" until the 19th c., when it came to replace the original general term cony, owing to the latter's resemblance to and use as a euphemism for cunny, "vulva" (compare ass and donkey).

Etymology 2

From Middle English rabet, rabette, from Anglo-Latin rabettus, from dialectal Old French rabotte, probably a diminutive of Middle Dutch or West Flemish robbe (“rabbit, seal”), of uncertain origin; possibly some imitative verb, maybe robben, rubben (“to rub”) is used here to allude to a characteristic of the animal. See rub. Related forms include Middle French rabouillet (“baby rabbit”) and in French rabot (“plane”)), coming via Walloon Old French (reflected nowadays as Walloon robète (“rabbit”)), from Middle Dutch robbe ("rabbit; seal"; whence Modern Dutch rob (“rabbit", also "seal”)); also Middle Low German robbe, rubbe (“rabbit”), and the later German Low German Rubbe, Robb (“seal”), West Frisian robbe (“seal”), Saterland Frisian Rubbe (“seal”), North Frisian rob (“seal”), borrowed into German Robbe (“seal”). Meant "young rabbit" until the 19th c., when it came to replace the original general term cony, owing to the latter's resemblance to and use as a euphemism for cunny, "vulva" (compare ass and donkey).

Etymology 3

From Cockney rhyming slang rabbit and pork, to talk.

Etymology 4

Perhaps a corruption of rabate.

See also for "rabbit"

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