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cony. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
cony, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
cony in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English cony, back formation from conies (plural), from Anglo-Norman conis, the plural of connil (“rabbit”), from Latin cunīculus, of unknown origin.
The original pronunciation was /ˈkʌni/ (for the spelling, compare honey and money), but the similarity to cunt (and particularly homophony with cunny) led through taboo avoidance both to the word's displacement in the main by rabbit and bunny and to the spelling-pronunciation /ˈkəʊni/ becoming standard.
Pronunciation
Noun
cony (plural conies)
- A rabbit, especially the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (formerly known as Lepus cuniculus).
c. 1517 (date written; published c. 1545), John Skelton, “Here after Foloweth the Booke Called Elynour Rummynge. The Tunnyng of Elynour Rummyng per Skelton Laureat.”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: , volume I, London: Thomas Rodd, , published 1843, →OCLC, page 108, lines 399–400:I were skynnes of conny, / That causeth I loke so donny.- I wear skins of cony, / That cause me to look so dunny.
c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , lines 344-346:ORLANDO. Are you native of this place? / ROSALIND. As the cony that you see / dwell where she is kindled.
- (UK, dialect) Rabbit fur.
- Locally for other rabbit-like or hyrax-like animals, such as the Cape hyrax (das, dassie) or the pika (Ochotona princeps, formerly Lagomys princeps).
- Used in the Old Testament as a translation of Hebrew שָׁפָן (shafán), thought to be the rock hyrax (Procavia capensis, syn. Hyrax syriacus).
- (obsolete) A simpleton; one who may be taken in by a cony-catcher.
1599, Diet's Dry Dinner:It is a most simple animal; whence are derived our usual phrases of cony and cony catcher.
- An edible West Indian fish, a grouper given in different sources as: Epinephelus apua, the hind of Bermuda; nigger-fish, Epinephelus punctatus; Cephalopholis fulva.
- Several species of tropical west Atlantic groupers of family Epinephelidae, such as the mutton hamlet, graysby, Cuban coney, and rooster hind.
- (UK, dialect) The burbot.
- (obsolete) A woman; a sweetheart.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
References
- “cony”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- C[harles] T[albut] Onions, editor (1973), “cony”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 3rd edition, Oxford: The Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 420.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3.
Anagrams
Catalan
Etymology
Inherited from Latin cunnus, compare Portuguese cona and Spanish coño.
Pronunciation
Noun
cony m (plural conys)
- (vulgar) vagina; vulva
Interjection
cony!
- (vulgar) expresses frustration or surprise
Alternative forms
Further reading