hare
/hɛɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.66 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of several plant-eating mammals of the genus Lepus, similar to a rabbit, but larger and with longer ears.
Countable
noun
The player in a paperchase, or hare and hounds game, who leaves a trail of paper to be followed.
Countable
adj
Grey, hoary; grey-haired, venerable (of people).
name
A surname transferred from the nickname.
Example Sentences
- "The hare has a reputation for exciting desire. Hare soup is credited with a particular aphrodisiac value."
- "Ashe bit absent-mindedly into a piece of hare and swore mildly when he burned his tongue."
- "Hare is another delicious meat – it’s more ‘steaky’, darker and richer than rabbit."
- "In Milan, jugged hare is flavoured with grated chocolate, which adds colour and depth to the sauce."
- "But Wales somehow snaffled possession for fly-half Jones to send half-back partner Mike Phillips haring away with Stoddart in support."
- "Desperate, Kim hurls his phone overarm at the creature's forehead. It's a solid chunk of metal and it's a dead hit. Grey reels backwards and cracks his skull against the wall. By the time he recovers, Kim is out of sight, haring away down the left corridor, just echoing, fading footsteps on concrete."
Etymology
From Middle English hare, from Old English hara (“hare”), from Proto-West Germanic *hasō ~ *haʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *hesô, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂s-én-; possibly related to or influenced by Proto-Germanic *haswaz (“grey”). Cognates See also West Frisian hazze, Dutch haas, German Hase, Norwegian and Swedish hare, Icelandic heri), Old English hasu, Middle High German heswe (“pale, dull”); also Welsh cannu (“to whiten”), ceinach (“hare”), Latin cānus (“white”), cascus (“old”), Old Prussian sasnis (“hare”), Pashto سوی (soe, “hare”) and Sanskrit शश (śaśa, “hare”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /hɛɚ/
- British English: /hɛə/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in People.