cony

American  

[koh-nee, kuhn-ee] / ˈkoʊ ni, ˈkʌn i /

Or coney

noun

plural

conies

1. the fur of a rabbit, especially when dyed to simulate Hudson seal.

2. the daman or other hyrax of the same genus.

3. the pika.

4. a rabbit.

5. Obsolete. a person who is easily tricked; gull; dupe.

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cony British  

/ ˈkəʊnɪ /

noun

1. a rabbit or fur made from the skin of a rabbit

2. (in the Bible) another name for the hyrax, esp the Syrian rock hyrax

3. another name for pika

4. archaic a fool or dupe

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Etymology

Origin of cony

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, back formation from conyes, from Old French conis, plural of conil, from Latin cunīculus “rabbit, burrow,” a word said to be of Iberian origin, according with evidence that the rabbit spread through Europe from NW Africa and the Iberian Peninsula

Example Sentences

Under pressure from the Astor lobby, Congress obligingly laid extra duties on imported nutria skins, cony, wool and Russian hares, all of which competed with Astor's beavers and muskrats in the hatmaking industry.

From Time Magazine Archive

From a bal cony watched President John F. Kennedy, and at his side was a welcome guest: Tunisia's President Habib Bourguiba, 57, the father of his young country and a staunch friend of the West.

From Time Magazine Archive

On the convention floor a bal cony and press tables were ready for reporters.

From Time Magazine Archive

I sat watching a cony one day in early fall as he lay in the sunshine upon a bowlder.

From A Mountain Boyhood by Comstock, Enos B. (Enos Benjamin)

At that moment a species of rabbit, or cony, chanced to hop round the corner of a rock.

From The Settler and the Savage by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)

Related Words

• bunny
• coney
• hare
• lagomorph
• lapin