Link Centre Dictionary

donkey

don·key

UK/ˈdɒŋ.ki/ US/ˈdɑŋ.ki/ fairly common slang uk

noun

1.

the symbol of the Democratic Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874

2.

Origin

The origin is uncertain. Originally a slang term from the late eighteenth century. Perhaps from Middle English *donekie (“a miniature dun horse”), a double diminutive of Middle English don, dun, dunne (a name for a dun horse), equivalent to modern English dun (“brownish grey colour”) + -ock (diminutive suffix) + -ie (diminutive suffix), or similarly formed from the given name Duncan. Compare Middle English donning (“a dun horse”), English dunnock. Became more common than the original term ass due to the latter's homophony and partial merger with arse (compare similar development between coney and rabbit).

Phrases

  • African wild donkey
  • Balkan donkey
  • Buridan's donkey
  • dead donkey
  • donkey anaphora
  • donkey bean
  • donkey bid
  • donkey boiler

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.