lagomorph

[lag-uh-mawrf]

noun

1. any member of the order Lagomorpha, comprising the hares, rabbits, and pikas, resembling the rodents but having two pairs of upper incisors.

lagomorph

/ ˈlæɡəʊˌmɔːf /

noun

1. any placental mammal of the order Lagomorpha, having two pairs of upper incisors specialized for gnawing: includes pikas, rabbits, and hares

Other Word Forms

• lagomorphic adjective
• lagomorphous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lagomorph¹

1880–85; < New Latin Lagomorpha name of the order, equivalent to Greek lagṓ ( s ) hare + morpha, neuter plural of -morphos -morph

Word History and Origins

Origin of lagomorph¹

C19: via New Latin from Greek lagōs hare; see _-morph

Example Sentences

At the time, Washington had a few native lagomorphs — pikas in the mountains, pygmy rabbits in the sagebrush — but no S. floridanus.

Read more on Seattle Times

Scientists are worried that RHDV2 could threaten the riparian brush rabbit population, along with other rare or endangered species of lagomorphs.

Read more on Scientific American

But one of the hares journeyed a record-breaking 388 kilometers—the longest known journey of any lagomorph, a group of animals that includes rabbits, hares, and pika—researchers reported last month in Ecology.

Read more on Science Magazine

And as for “Roger Rabbit,” do you really want your source material about L.A.’s electric streetcar system to come from a cast of animated lagomorphs?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Overall, just two species of North American lagomorph are considered stable; the rest are declining because of threats such as climate change or habitat degradation from livestock grazing.

Read more on Science Magazine

Related Words

• bunny 
• coney 
• cony 
• hare 
• lapin