bunny

Definition

A rabbit, especially a juvenile one.

Etymology

From bun (“rabbit”) + -y (diminutive suffix). Probably from Scottish Gaelic bun (“bottom, butt, stump, stub”), from Old Irish bun (“the thick end of anything, base, butt, foot”), from Proto-Celtic *bonus, though its origin is uncertain. Compare also English bum. Together with rabbit, bunny has largely displaced its former rhyme cony (see cony for more).

Example Sentences

• "Scary-looking rabbits were hopping around Fort Collins. These weren’t your standard cute, fluffy bunnies; they had horn-like growths protruding from their faces and bodies."
• "‘Gwen has a job as a bunny because says she's sick of sex.’"
• "A local chemist remembers: My grandmother made home-made sanitary towels from a type of muslin. They were hand-knitted, washed and re-used. Other women used netting and cotton wool. Home-made towels were known as 'bunnies'."