jackal
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Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈd͡ʒækəl/[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Turkish çakal,[2][3][4][5] from Persian شغال (šaġāl),[2][3][4][5][6] related to Sanskrit शृगाल (śṛgāla, “jackal”),[2][3][4][5][6] literally “the howler”.[4] Barnhart explains the English j- as a misinterpretation of the initial sound;[3] Random House sees association with jack.[6] Etymonline says it came through French chacal.[4]
Earliest recorded meaning
A doglike animal of Asia and Africa, about the size of a fox (1603).[7][3][5]
Semantic evolution
The figurative sense of a person who does drudgery or base work for another dates from the 17th century (before 1688),[7] from the old belief that jackals stirred up game for lions.[4] The verb, to play the jackal, is recorded from 1900.[7]
Timeline
- 1603 – the animal.[7][3][5]
- before 1688 – a person doing drudgery for another.[7]
- 1900 – verb, to do drudgery.[7]
Modern meaning
Noun
- Any of several doglike wild canids of Africa and southern Asia that feed on plants, small animals and carrion.
- An accomplice or lackey who helps another in base or dishonest acts.
- A person who does menial tasks for another.
Related words
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
- ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
- ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press