Q:

Difference between a 'figure' and 'figurine'?

I am writing a product description for an Easter bunny decorative figure/figurine and I am stuck at which term to use for my copy as both these terms have been used interchangeably on different sites. 

A:

Figure and figurine can be used interchangeably to describe a small statue or statuette.

figure   a representation of a human or animal form in drawing or sculpture   (Oxford)
figurine   a statuette, especially one of a human form  (Oxford)

That said, figure is a more general term. In the statue sense alone, figure connotes no size, whereas figurine connotes a smaller size. Furthermore, figure has a plethora of other senses, evinced by the dictionary entry linked above.
If you're writing a product description, you should probably go with the more specific term, figurine.

