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I know that sheep have fleece, but do rabbits also have fleece, or should I instead use the word fur with rabbits? Is it wrong or weird to say rabbit fleece instead of rabbit fur?

I want to say:

I’m allergic to its fleece. [with its here standing in for the rabbit’s]

Enlighten me if I’m wrong.

tchrist
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Anna
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  • A sheep has a fleece - a thick coat of hair that is cut off every summer for commercial use. Most mammals have fur (if it's thick and warm) or hair. – Kate Bunting Sep 11 '22 at 14:35
  • @KateBunting Have you any answer for the answer-box? “Baa, baa, black sheep, / Have you any wool? / Yes, sir, yes, sir, / Three bags full; / One for the master, / One for the dame, / And one for the little boy / Who lives down the lane.” – tchrist Sep 11 '22 at 15:58
  • Yes, of course a sheep's fleece consists of wool. I didn't mention it so as not to confuse the issue, and because some dictionaries mention goats' fleeces as well. – Kate Bunting Sep 11 '22 at 16:50
  • @KateBunting So rabbits doesn't have fleece? – Anna Sep 11 '22 at 18:35
  • Rabbits are rarely sheared like sheep, so you don't get a full fleece. They are usually skinned after killing, and the skins have fur, but it's not really called fleece – John Lawler Sep 11 '22 at 19:04
  • As for the words, FL-initial words have good phonosemantic match: the major use is Two-Dimensional Non-Extended (as opposed to SK-initial words, which are Two-Dimensional Extended. Since fleeces are two-dimensional and not extended like sky or skate, FL- works fine. – John Lawler Sep 11 '22 at 19:11
  • Related. – tchrist Feb 13 '23 at 14:17

1 Answers1

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The OED gives fleece as

the wooly covering of sheep or similar animals.

Fur is given as

the short, fine, soft hair of certain animals.

This is a distinction of texture and to some degree, of use and method of procurement (see the entries for the verbal uses of these words also.)

Fluff is

light, feathery, floculent stuff such as the downy paticles that separate from dressed wool.

But it also has the meaning of

the soft fur of a rabbit or other animal.

I don't see any authority for using "fleece" as a term for a rabbit's fur. The suggestion is that fur requires the death of the animial, whereas fleece is taken from an animal without killing it. But there is also an interesting (unrelated) OED definition of "fleece" which is the meat taken from an American bison. So go figure.

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