Buzz
When we look at shortened versions of animal names, 'doggy' for 'dog' and 'kitty' for 'cat' make perfect sense. After all, 'kitty' comes from 'kitten.' But where did 'bunny' originate as a term for 'rabbit'?
A Rabbit by Another Name
As early as the 14th century, the term 'coney' (pronounced 'cunny,' similar to 'honey' and 'money') was used to refer to adult rabbits. By the end of that century, the young of the species were known as 'rabbits,' a term likely borrowed from the French word 'rabotte.'
In the 1800s, the term 'coney' fell out of use after British slang adopted it as a pun on 'cunny,' meaning 'cunt,' according to the Online Etymology Dictionary. From that point, 'rabbit' became the preferred term for the long-eared mammal. However, 'rabbit' itself is not connected etymologically to 'bunny.'
Putting the 'Bun' in 'Bunny'
According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), 'bunny' is a blend of 'bun' and the suffix '-y.' In this context, 'bun' had no association with cakes or rabbits. In the 16th century, 'bun' was a nickname for a squirrel, and later, it became a term of affection for a loved one.
The origin of 'bun' in the rabbit context remains unclear. The OED dismisses its link to the Scottish word 'bun,' meaning 'the tail of a hare.' The Online Etymology Dictionary suggests 'bun' may have derived from the French 'bon' ('good') or from a Scandinavian term.
Regardless of where 'bun' originated, 'bunny' first appeared as an affectionate term for women and children in 1609. The earliest reference to its use as a pet name for a rabbit comes from 1699 in 'A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew.' It's also possible that 'buns' and 'bunnies' were used for rabbits long before they were documented in print, as both terms appear in a 19th-century collection of archaic expressions dating back to the 1300s.
Bunny vs. Rabbit
You might be asking: Is there any distinction between bunnies and rabbits? The short answer is no—both terms refer to the same animal in the Leporidae family. People often use them interchangeably, though 'bunny' is sometimes more commonly used to describe young rabbits (which are technically known as 'kits' or 'kittens').
However, rabbits and hares are different—they belong to separate genera. Hares are generally larger than rabbits and tend to live more solitary lives. To learn more about how these two animals differ, click here.
