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donkey

 - 4 dictionary results

don⋅key

  [dong-kee, dawng-, duhng-] noun, plural -keys, adjective
Use donkey in a Sentence
–noun
1. the domestic ass, Equus asinus.
2. (since 1874) a representation of this animal as the emblem of the U.S. Democratic party.
3. a stupid, silly, or obstinate person.
4. a woodworking apparatus consisting of a clamping frame and saw, used for cutting marquetry veneers.
–adjective
5. Machinery. auxiliary: donkey engine; donkey pump; donkey boiler.
Origin:
1775–85; perh. alter. of Dunkey, hypocoristic form of Duncan, man's name
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To donkey
don·key   (dŏng'kē, dŭng'-, dông'-)   
n.   pl. don·keys

  1. The domesticated ass (Equus asinus).

  2. Slang An obstinate person.

  3. Slang A stupid person.


[Perhaps from the name Duncan or of imitative origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

donkey

A symbol of the Democratic party, introduced in a series of political cartoons by Thomas Nast during the congressional elections of 1874. (Compare elephant.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

donkey 
1785, slang, perhaps from dun "dull grey-brown," the form perhaps infl. by monkey. Or possibly from a familiar form of Duncan (cf. dobbin). The older Eng. word was ass.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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