Coney

Coney is an historical term for a rabbit or hare, especially the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). In Old and Middle English texts, the animal is commonly called a coney, and the word appears in heraldry and literature. The term derives from Old French cuné, from Latin cuniculus, meaning a burrow, reflecting the animal’s burrowing habits. In English culinary history, coney meat appears in medieval and early modern cookery as a staple protein before the broader introduction of other meats; references remain in some historic recipes and dictionaries.

Coney Island is a well-known geographic name in New York City. The area on the southern tip of Brooklyn derives its name from a 17th-century Dutch designation, Conyne Ey or Conyn Eyland, meaning “Rabbit Island.” Today Coney Island is a neighborhood famed for its boardwalk, beaches, and historic amusement parks, and it remains a symbol of American seaside recreation.

The term also appears in other proper names and surnames, and may refer to places named Coney elsewhere or simply be used historically in literature to denote a rabbit. In modern usage, the archaic sense of coney is mostly confined to historical, literary, or cultural contexts, while contemporary references tend to point to places such as Coney Island or to discussions of rabbits in zoological or culinary history.