(a) The common European hare (Lepus timidus); (b) any of the various species of the genus Lepus or related genera; Irish ~, the mountain hare (Lepus variabilis); (c) hare's meat used for food; (d) a timid person; (e) the fur or pelt of a hare; ~ werk, dressed hare skins; (f) in proverbs and proverbial expressions.

(a) A picture or representation of a hare; (b) astron. the southern constellation Lepus.

(a) In cpds. and combs.: ~ baiting, ~ blod; ~ fang, catching hares; hare(s grese, fat of a hare; hare(s her, hare's hair; ~ pipe, a trap for hares; ~ serd, the copulating hare; ~ skin, ~ tail; (b) in names of plants: ~ belle, the wood hyacinth or bluebell Scilla nonscripta; ?also (probably erroneously), the shepherd's-purse Capsella bursa-pastoris and mullein Verbascum thapsus [in error for 'Hare's beard']; also, a representation of such a plant or its flower; ~ ere, hares ere(s, ?the common avens Geum urbanum; ~ flex, hound's-tongue Cynoglossum officinale; ~ fot, q.v.; ~ minte, some kind of plant; ?a mint; haran-speccel [OE haran-sprecel], viper's bugloss Echium vulgare; hares thistel, some plant of the genus Sonchus; prob. the spiny sow thistle Sonchus asper; ~ wort, prob. the garden cress Lepidium sativum; (c) se ~, ~ of the se, water ~, a mollusk of the genus Tethys, a sea hare; (d) ~ sherd, a harelip.

(a) In place names [see Smith PNElem. 1.234]; (b) in surnames [see also ~ fot].