Obs. Forms: α. 4–5 conynger, 5–6 connynger(e, Sc. cunningaire, cuninghare, kunynȝare, 6 counnyngar, conigare, conyger, 7 conieger, 7–9 Sc. (Hist.) cuningar; β. 6 conyngry, conyngarye, 6–7 coney-, conni(e-, conny-gree, coni-, conniegrea, (6 cunnie-greene), 7 conigrie, conni-, conie-grey; γ. 6 cunnerye, conyrie, 7 conery. [ME. conynger(e, 15th c. Sc. kuninȝare, a. OF. co(n)ninière, yère, a parallel form of conilière, connillière (= It. conigliera ‘a cunnie-grea, a warren,’ Florio):—L. type cunīculāria: cf. cunīculāris adj., neut. pl. -āria, pertaining to the rabbit; also cunīculārius a (military) miner, f. cunīculus a rabbit, (-us, -um) a burrow, a military mine, underground passage: see CONY. The animal being in OF. both conil and conin, its warren was conilière and coninière; the latter alone passed into Eng., where conin, coninière became conyng, conyngere and conig, conyger, with variants in -aire, -are, -ar, etc. the β forms are more obscure, but appear to start from conyng-rye, -arye, conig-rie, where the suffix (-aria, -ière) takes the form -ary, -ery, -ry, as in rookery, Jewry; but in the 16th c., when conyng, conyg were obs., and only cony, coney remained as the primary word, the derivative was analysed as cony-gry, and the second element variously transformed by popular etymology into -gree, -grey, and even -greave, -grave, -green, with obvious striving after a meaning. Only rarely was the true composition asserted, as in the cony-rie, cunne-rye of Levins. Many forms of the word survive as local farm- or field-names, e.g., Coney Grees (Greaves, Graves), Conery.
Hence also Welsh cwning-gaer (Pughe), adapted in form to caer castle.]
A rabbit-warren.
α. 1292. Britton, III. vii. § 5. Fraunchises, marchez, garrennes, conigers. Ibid., I. xxii. (MS. C). De pessoun e des coniers [v.r. coningers].
1389. Act 13 Rich. II., c. 13 § 1. Vont chaceantz es parkes, garennes & conyngers.
1424. Sc. Acts Jas. I., c. 33. The … destroyers of Cunningaires [v.r. cuningharis] and Dowcattes.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems (Percy Soc.), 174. With them that ferett robbe conyngerys.
1474. Rental Bk. of Cupar Abbey. Warrandar of Kunynȝare.
1519. Horman, Vulgaria, Warens & conygers & parkis palydde.
1552. Huloet, Conigare, or cony earth, or clapper for conies, viuarium.
1617. Minsheu, Ductor, Conieger, Conie-grey, or Warren for Conies.
1693. J. Wallace, Orkney, 13. There are rich cuningars almost in every Isle, well stored with Rabbets.
1707. Brand, Orkney, 37 (Jam.). The whole isle is but as one rich cuningar [MS. cunnyngarth] or cony-warren.
[1884. C. Rogers, Soc. Life Scot., II. xiii. 271. Denizens of the Cunningar or rabbit-warren.]
β. c. 1521. in Archæol., XXV. 313 (D.). A conyngry called Milborowe heth granted by the King to John Honteley.
1544. Will of T. Kempe (Somerset Ho.). The litle conyngarye with all the profecte of the Coonnyes in the great.
1575. Turberv., Venerie, 184. Warreynes and Connigrees … full of little rabbets.
1598. Florio, Conigliera, a conigrea [1611 connie-grea] or waren for conies.
1611. Cotgr., Conniniere, a connigrey, or warren of connies.
1634. Brereton, Trav. (1844), 55. Here they have a spacious coney-gree.
γ. 1570. Levins, Manip., 104. A cunnerye, leporarium. Ibid., 107. Conyrie.
1637. J. Harrison, Surv. Sheffield, in Sheff. Gloss., A close of arable called the Conery.
b. transf.
1548. Thomas, Ital. Gram., Horti di Venere, the womans secrete connyngers.
