In the Middle Ages, the word 'rabbit' was derived from the French "rabb".The French word for rabbit is 'rabbite'.Rabbits were first domesticated in the Middle East.The first archaeological evidence of rabbit hunting is from around 8000 BC.Rabbits were hunted for meat in Europe from the Middle Ages until the 16th century, when they were reclassified as pests.Large rabbit ranches were set up in America by wealthy families in the 18th and 19th centuries, who drove the rabbits in specially designed cages with slats big enough for the rabbits to pass through.