Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
HARE
I. noun (plural hare or hares)
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hara; akin to Old High German haso hare, Sanskrit śaśa, Old English hasu gray Date: before 12th century any of various swift long-eared lagomorph mammals (family Leporidae and especially genus Lepus ) that are usually solitary or sometimes live in pairs and have the young open-eyed and furred at birth,
II. intransitive verb (hared; haring)
Date: 1719
to go swiftly ; tear III