Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
co·ney 1 also co·ny
 (kō'nē, kŭn'ē) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. co·neys also co·nies
[Middle English coni, from Old French conis, pl. of conil, from Latin cunīculus, possibly from cunnus, cunus, female pudenda.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
| co·ney 2
(kō'nē) Pronunciation Key
n. Informal A Coney Island. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
| hy·rax
(hī'rāks') Pronunciation Key
n. pl. hy·rax·es or hy·ra·ces (-rə-sēz') Any of several herbivorous mammals of the family Procaviidae within the order Hyraoidea of Africa and adjacent Asia, resembling woodchucks or similar rodents but more closely related to the hoofed mammals. Also called coney1, dassie. [New Latin, from Greek hurax, shrew mouse.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
| pi·ka
(pī'kə, pē-) Pronunciation Key
n. Any of several small, tailless, furry mammals of the genus Ochotona of the mountains of North America and Eurasia, resembling guinea pigs but belonging to the order of lagomorphs that includes the hares and rabbits. Also called coney1, rock rabbit. [Evenki piika, perhaps from Russian pikat', to squeak.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
coney
| coney | |
noun | |
| 1. | black-spotted usually dusky-colored fish with reddish fins |
| 2. | any of several small ungulate mammals of Africa and Asia with rodent-like incisors and feet with hooflike toes [syn: hyrax] |
| 3. | small short-eared burrowing mammal of rocky uplands of Asia and western North America [syn: pika] |
| 4. | any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food [syn: rabbit] |
Coney
Co"ney\ (? or ?), n. 1. (Zo["o]l.) A rabbit. See Cony. 2. (Zo["o]l.) A fish. See Cony.Coney
(Heb. shaphan; i.e., "the hider"), an animal which inhabits the mountain gorges and the rocky districts of Arabia Petraea and the Holy Land. "The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks" (Prov. 30:26; Ps. 104:18). They are gregarious, and "exceeding wise" (Prov. 30:24), and are described as chewing the cud (Lev. 11:5; Deut. 14:7). The animal intended by this name is known among naturalists as the Hyrax Syriacus. It is neither a ruminant nor a rodent, but is regarded as akin to the rhinoceros. When it is said to "chew the cud," the Hebrew word so used does not necessarily imply the possession of a ruminant stomach. "The lawgiver speaks according to appearances; and no one can watch the constant motion of the little creature's jaws, as it sits continually working its teeth, without recognizing the naturalness of the expression" (Tristram, Natural History of the Bible). It is about the size and color of a rabbit, though clumsier in structure, and without a tail. Its feet are not formed for digging, and therefore it has its home not in burrows but in the clefts of the rocks. "Coney" is an obsolete English word for "rabbit."
Copyright © 2008, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
