[hair] 
noun, plural hares, (especially collectively
) hare, verb, hared, har⋅ing.| 1. | any rodentlike mammal of the genus Lepus, of the family Leporidae, having long ears, a divided upper lip, and long hind limbs adapted for leaping. |
| 2. | any of the larger species of this genus, as distinguished from certain of the smaller ones known as rabbits. |
| 3. | any of various similar animals of the same family. |
| 4. | (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Lepus. |
| 5. | the player pursued in the game of hare and hounds. |
| 6. | Chiefly British. to run fast. |
| hare (hâr) 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. intr.v. hared, har·ing, hares To move hurriedly, as if hunting a swift quarry. [Middle English, from Old English hara; see kas- in Indo-European roots.] |
"þou hast a crokyd tunge heldyng wyth hownd and wyth hare." ["Jacob's Well," c.1440]
Hare
(Heb. 'arnebeth) was prohibited as food according to the Mosaic law (Lev. 11:6; Deut. 14:7), "because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof." The habit of this animal is to grind its teeth and move its jaw as if it actually chewed the cud. But, like the cony (q.v.), it is not a ruminant with four stomachs, but a rodent like the squirrel, rat, etc. Moses speaks of it according to appearance. It is interdicted because, though apparently chewing the cud, it did not divide the hoof. There are two species in Syria, (1) the Lepus Syriacus or Syrian hare, which is like the English hare; and (2) the Lepus Sinaiticus, or hare of the desert. No rabbits are found in Syria.