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bunny

[buhn-ee]
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noun, plural bun·nies.
  1. Informal. a rabbit, especially a small or young one.
  2. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. a pretty, appealing, or alluring young woman, often one ostensibly engaged in a sport or similar activity: beach bunny; ski bunny.
  3. Chiefly British. a squirrel.
  4. Australian and New Zealand Slang. a person imposed upon or made a fool of; victim.
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adjective
  1. designed for or used by beginners in skiing: a bunny slope.
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Origin of bunny

1600–10, Americanism; dial. bun (tail of a) hare or rabbit, in Scots: buttocks (< Scots Gaelic bun bottom) + -y2

Usage note

The meaning “pretty woman” is sometimes used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting. For instance, a beach bunny is an alluring female who frequents the beach only to meet male surfers. But bunny was originally (and still is) used as a term of endearment for a girl or young woman.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bunny

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • It isn't a Bunny Hug or Tango, or anything distracting for lookers-on.

    It Happened in Egypt

    C. N. Williamson

  • Presently the luncheon-hour was over and Bunny had been carried off for his afternoon's outing.

    Mary Gray

    Katharine Tynan

  • For the moment she had forgotten Nelly's offences, and only remembered that she had been Bunny's friend.

    Mary Gray

    Katharine Tynan

  • He had sent home a beautiful mug of beaten silver for Bunny.

    Mary Gray

    Katharine Tynan

  • She was not going to see Bunny and his mother again, not for a long time at least.

    Mary Gray

    Katharine Tynan

British Dictionary definitions for bunny

bunny

noun plural -nies
  1. Also called: bunny rabbit a child's word for rabbit (def. 1)
  2. Also called: bunny girl a night-club hostess whose costume includes rabbit-like tail and ears
  3. Australian informal a mug; dupe
  4. slang a devotee of a specified pastime or activitygym bunny; disco bunny
  5. British slang talk, esp when inconsequential; chatter
  6. not a happy bunny British slang deeply dissatisfied or discontented
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Word Origin

C17: from Scottish Gaelic bun scut of a rabbit
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bunny

n.

1680s, diminutive of Scottish dialectal bun, pet name for "rabbit," previously (1580s) for "squirrel," and also a term of endearment for a young attractive woman or child (c.1600). Ultimately it could be from Scottish bun "tail of a hare" (1530s), or from French bon, or from a Scandinavian source. The Playboy Club hostess sense is from 1960. The Bunny Hug (1912), along with the foxtrot and the Wilson glide, were among the popular/scandalous dances of the ragtime era.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper