from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Rabbit \Rab"bit\ (r[a^]b"b[i^]t), n. [OE. rabet, akin to OD.
robbe, robbeken.] (Zool.)
Any of the smaller species of the genus Lepus, especially the
common European species ({Lepus cuniculus}), which is often
kept as a pet, and has been introduced into many countries.
It is remarkably prolific, and has become a pest in some
parts of Australia and New Zealand.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The common American rabbit ({Lepus sylvatica}) is
similar but smaller. See {Cottontail}, and {Jack
rabbit}, under 2d {Jack}. The larger species of Lepus
are commonly called hares. See {Hare}.
[1913 Webster]
{Angora rabbit} (Zool.), a variety of the domestic rabbit
having long, soft fur.
{Rabbit burrow}, a hole in the earth made by rabbits for
shelter and habitation.
{Rabbit fish}. (Zool.)
(a) The northern chimaera ({Chimaera monstrosa}).
(b) Any one of several species of plectognath fishes, as the
bur fish, and puffer. The term is also locally applied to
other fishes.
{Rabbits' ears}. (Bot.) See {Cyclamen}.
{Rabbit warren}, a piece of ground appropriated to the
breeding and preservation of rabbits. --Wright.
{Rock rabbit}.
(a) (Zool.) See {Daman}, and {Klipdas}.
(b) the {pika}.
{Welsh rabbit}, a dish of which the chief constituents are
melted cheese over toasted bread, flavored in various
ways, as with ale, beer, milk, or spices. The name is
popularly said to be a corruption of {Welsh rare bit}, but
it is probably merely a humorous designation; -- also
called {Welsh rarebit}.
[1913 Webster]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Welsh \Welsh\, a. [AS. w[ae]lisc, welisc, from wealh a stranger,
foreigner, not of Saxon origin, a Welshman, a Celt, Gael;
akin to OHG. walh, whence G. w[aum]lsch or welsch, Celtic,
Welsh, Italian, French, Foreign, strange, OHG. walhisc; from
the name of a Celtic tribe. See {Walnut}.]
Of or pertaining to Wales, or its inhabitants. [Sometimes
written also {Welch}.]
[1913 Webster]
{Welsh flannel}, a fine kind of flannel made from the fleece
of the flocks of the Welsh mountains, and largely
manufactured by hand.
{Welsh glaive}, or {Welsh hook}, a weapon of war used in
former times by the Welsh, commonly regarded as a kind of
poleax. --Fairholt. --Craig.
{Welsh mortgage} (O. Eng. Law), a species of mortgage, being
a conveyance of an estate, redeemable at any time on
payment of the principal, with an understanding that the
profits in the mean time shall be received by the
mortgagee without account, in satisfaction of interest.
--Burrill.
{Welsh mutton}, a choice and delicate kind of mutton obtained
from a breed of small sheep in Wales.
{Welsh onion} (Bot.), a kind of onion ({Allium fistulosum})
having hollow inflated stalks and leaves, but scarcely any
bulb, a native of Siberia. It is said to have been
introduced from Germany, and is supposed to have derived
its name from the German term w[aum]lsch foreign.
{Welsh parsley}, hemp, or halters made from hemp. [Obs. &
Jocular] --J. Fletcher.
{Welsh rabbit}. See under {Rabbit}.
[1913 Webster]