Etymologically
Log in

donkey

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 12 October 2026 at 20:20. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

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
  • 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