lackey English · revision 2431

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈlæki/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|frm|laquais|t=foot soldier, footman]],^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) a word of uncertain origin.^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) Barnhart and Etymonline suggest Old Occitan ''lacai'', from ''lecai'' “glutton, covetous”, from ''lecar'' “to lick”.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) Random House points to Catalan ''alacayo'',^(RHWU) and Etymonline also mentions a route through Spanish ''lacayo'' and Italian ''lacchè'' from Turkish ''ulak'' “runner, courier”, though the OED says the Italian word comes from French.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A footman, especially a running footman; a valet (1520s).^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Merriam-Webster dates the word to 1523 and the OED to 1529.^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989) The figurative sense “a servile follower, a toady” appears in 1588,^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995) and by 1939 the word was a term of political abuse, especially in communist jargon.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) The verb, “to serve as a lackey”, dates from 1568.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1523–1529 – a footman, a valet.^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1556 – a hanger-on, a camp follower (obsolete).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1568 – verb, to serve as a lackey.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1588 – a servile follower, a toady.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1939 – a political term of abuse.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A servile follower; a toady.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A liveried male servant; a footman.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Someone who does menial tasks or errands for another.^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To wait on as a footman, or to serve obsequiously.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[flunky]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}