hare

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of various mammals of the family Leporidae, especially of the genus Lepus, similar to rabbits but having longer ears and legs and giving birth to active, furred young.
2. v. To move hurriedly, as if hunting a swift quarry.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A rodent quadruped of the family Leporidæ and genus Lepus. It has four upper front teeth instead of only two as usual in Rodentia (the extra pair placed behind the others), long mobile ears, short cocked-up tail, lengthened hind limbs, furry soles, and cleft upper lip. The species are numerous, and are found in most countries, especially of the northern hemisphere; they are much alike, all nearly resembling the common hare of Europe, Lepus timidus. This animal in northerly and alpine countries turns more or less completely white in winter, and is then known as the varying hare. The polar hare, Lepus timidus, var. arcticus or glacialis, is the extreme phase of the same species; the American representative is L. americanus. The western United States harbor several very large, long-eared, long-limbed hares, such as L. campestris (which whitens in winter), L. callotis, and others, commonly known as jack-rabbits or jackass-rabbits. (See cut under jack-rabbit.) Some hares are partly aquatic, as L. aquaticus of the southern United States. The hare is proverbial for its timidity and fleetness, and for its instinctive ingenuity in eluding enemies. The pursuit of it with hounds is called coursing, and has been a favorite sport from remote times. The rabbit, belonging to the same genus, is often included under the general term hare, and differs from it chiefly in its smaller size, and in its habit of burrowing instead of constructing forms in the grass as the hare does. See rabbit.
2. n. [capitalized] In astronomy, one of the forty-eight ancient constellations of Ptolemy, situated in the southern hemisphere.
3. n. Everybody; people generally.
4. To harass; worry; frighten.
5. See he, I., D .
6. n. So many new species and subspecies of hares have been described of late years that common names have not kept pace with scientific names.

Wiktionary

1. n. Any of several plant-eating animals of the family Leporidae, especially of the genus Lepus, similar to a rabbit, but larger and with longer ears.
2. v. intransitive To move swiftly.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. obsolete To excite; to tease, harass, or worry; to harry.
2. n. (Zoöl.) A rodent of the genus Lepus, having long hind legs, a short tail, and a divided upper lip. It is a timid animal, moves swiftly by leaps, and is remarkable for its fecundity.
3. n. (Astron.) A small constellation situated south of and under the foot of Orion; Lepus.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. flesh of any of various rabbits or hares (wild or domesticated) eaten as food
2. n. swift timid long-eared mammal larger than a rabbit having a divided upper lip and long hind legs; young born furred and with open eyes
3. v. run quickly, like a hare