donkey

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdɒŋ.ki/ (UK); /ˈdɑŋ.ki/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It was originally slang or dialect, of uncertain origin.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Early evidence shows that it rhymed with monkey.^[7][8][6] It may be a diminutive of dun (“dull greyish brown”), perhaps formed on the pattern of monkey,^{[3][4][9][10][8]} or a pet form of the name Duncan, as with dobbin or neddy.^{[2][4][11][7][12]} Partridge also mentions Don Quixote.^[13]

Earliest recorded meaning

A familiar name for the ass (1785 in the OED, Barnhart and Etymonline, when Grose first records it).^{[14][3][4][13]}

Semantic evolution

Before the late 18th century the animal was called an ass,^[6][4] and donkey has since become the usual word, except in biblical or solemn language and in natural history.^[14] From 1840 it also meant a stupid or silly person.^[14][5] Its use as an emblem of the US Democratic Party dates from 1874.^[11] The phrase donkey's years, a very long time (early 20th century), is a pun on the length of a donkey's ears and an old pronunciation of ears like years.^[6][12] As an adjective in engineering, donkey means auxiliary, as in donkey engine.^[11]

Timeline

• 1785 – the ass.^[14][3][4]
• 1840 – a stupid person.^[14]
• 1874 – emblem of the Democratic Party.^[11]
• early 20th century – donkey's years.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The domesticated ass, Equus asinus.
2. A stupid, silly or obstinate person.
3. (British slang) An unskilful footballer.
4. A frame with a fine saw for cutting marquetry veneers.

Adjective

1. (machinery) Auxiliary, as in donkey engine.

Word family

• donkey engine
• donkey jacket
• donkey work
• donkey's years
• pin the tail on the donkey

Related words

• ass
• dun
• monkey
• burro
• mule
• jackass

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Skeat, Walter W. (1911), A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, new ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
10. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
11. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
12. ^ a b Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
13. ^ a b Partridge, Eric (1966), Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, 4th ed., London: Routledge & Kegan Paul
14. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press