hare
Any of several plant-eating mammals of the genus Lepus, similar to a rabbit, but larger and with longer ears.
Adjective
- Grey, hoary; grey-haired, venerable (of people).
- a hare old man
- Cold, frosty (of weather).
- a hare day
Origin
From Middle English hore, from Old English hār (“hoar, hoary, grey, old”), from Proto-Germanic *hairaz (“grey”). Cognate with German hehr (“noble, sublime”).
Forms
Noun
- Any of several plant-eating mammals of the genus Lepus, similar to a rabbit, but larger and with longer ears.
- The hare has a reputation for exciting desire. Hare soup is credited with a particular aphrodisiac value. - 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 111:
- The meat from this animal.
- Ashe bit absent-mindedly into a piece of hare and swore mildly when he burned his tongue. - 1958, Andre Norton, The Time Traders, Cleveland, Oh.; New York, N.Y.: The World Publishing Company, →LCCN, page 79:
- Hare is another delicious meat – it’s more ‘steaky’, darker and richer than rabbit. - 2007, Jamie Oliver, Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life, London: Michael Joseph, Penguin Books, →ISBN, page 273:
- In Milan, jugged hare is flavoured with grated chocolate, which adds colour and depth to the sauce. - 2013, Anna Del Conte, Gastronomy of Italy, London: Pavilion, →ISBN, page 109:
- The player in a paperchase, or hare and hounds game, who leaves a trail of paper to be followed.
Origin
From Middle English hare, from Old English hara (“hare”), from Proto-West Germanic *hasō ~ *haʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *hesô, from *haswaz (“grey”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂s-én-. 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”).
Forms
Derived
Allen's hare arctic hare Arctic hare Belgian hare blue hare brown hare chief hare desert hare European hare first catch your hare forhare hare and hounds harebell harebrain hare-brained harebrained harefoot hare-hearted harehound hare kangaroo harekind harelike hareling harelip
Verb Entry 3
- To move swiftly.
- But Wales somehow snaffled possession for fly-half Jones to send half-back partner Mike Phillips haring away with Stoddart in support. - 2011 February 4, Gareth Roberts, “Wales 19-26 England”, in BBC:
- 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...
Forms
Synonyms
Related
Verb obsolete
- To excite; to tease, or worry; to harry.
- To hare and rate them thus at every turn, is not to teach them, but to vex, and torment them to no purpoſe. - 1693, John Locke, Some Thoughts Concerning Education:
Origin
From Middle English harren, harien (“to drag by force, ill-treat”), of uncertain origin. Compare harry, harass.