rabbitry
Definition
- Noun:
- A place where rabbits are kept or bred: "rabbitry" refers to an enclosure, hutch, or building designed for housing, raising, or breeding domestic rabbits.
Usage Examples
- (An enclosure for keeping rabbits.)
- (A place where rabbits are kept.)
- (A facility for breeding rabbits.)
Advanced Usage
- "rabbitry" as a collective term: In some contexts, "rabbitry" can refer to the entire collection of rabbits and their housing, similar to a "colony" or "warren."
- The rabbitry at the agricultural fair showcased over fifty different rabbit breeds. (The collection of rabbits and their enclosures.)
Variants and Related Words
- Rabbit (n): a small, long-eared mammal, often domesticated for meat, fur, or as a pet.
- The rabbit hopped around the garden. (The animal itself.)
- Rabbitry (n): (the defined term) — note that this word is a specific noun and does not have common verb or adjective forms.
- Rabbit hutch (n): a small, often wooden enclosure for one or a few rabbits, distinct from a larger rabbitry.
- The children kept their pet rabbit in a small hutch, not a full rabbitry. (A smaller structure.)
Synonyms
- Hutch: a small cage or enclosure for rabbits, but typically smaller than a rabbitry.
- Warren: a network of underground rabbit burrows, but used metaphorically or for wild rabbits.
- Enclosure: a general term for a fenced or confined area for animals.
Related Idioms
- "Breed like rabbits": to reproduce quickly and in large numbers (often used metaphorically for humans or other animals).
- The stray cats in the neighbourhood breed like rabbits, so we need to control the population. (Reproduce rapidly.)
- "Pull a rabbit out of a hat": to produce something surprising or seemingly impossible, often in a clever way.
- The magician pulled a rabbit out of a hat during the show. (A literal or figurative trick.)
Note: "Rabbity" (adj) is a separate word meaning "resembling or characteristic of a rabbit," e.g., His rabbity nose twitched nervously. This is not a direct variant of "rabbitry."