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hackneyed

Etymology and origin of the English word hackneyed

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhæk.nid/[1]

Etymology

It is the past participle of the verb hackney,[2][3] from the noun hackney, a horse for hire.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Merriam-Webster dates the adjective to 1735.[4] The OED dates the sense “trite” to 1749 and “kept for hire” to 1767.[5][2]

Semantic evolution

A hackney was an ordinary horse kept for riding or hire.[2] The verb meant to use a horse for riding (1570s) and then to make something common by indiscriminate use (1590s).[2] So hackneyed came to describe words and ideas used so often that they have lost their freshness (1749).[5][2] Compare hack, a writer who will write anything for hire.[2] The OED also records a sense “experienced, practised”, sometimes with a hint of weariness (1760).[5]

Timeline

  • 1570s – verb hackney, to use a horse for riding.[2]
  • 1590s – verb, to make common by overuse.[2]
  • 1749 – trite, stale.[5][2]
  • 1760 – experienced, habituated.[5]
  • 1767 – kept for hire (obsolete).[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Made trite and commonplace by overuse; stale.
  2. (obsolete) Kept for hire.

Word family

  • unhackneyed

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Hackneyed.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/hackneyed. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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