Nearby Words

flunky

[fluhng-kee] Origin

flun·ky

[fluhng-kee]
noun, plural -kies.
1.
a male servant in livery.
2.
an assistant who does menial work.
3.
a toady; yes-man.
Also, flunkey.


Origin:
1775–85; perhaps alteration of flanker

flun·ky·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Flunky is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Collins
World English Dictionary
flunky or flunkey (ˈflʌŋkɪ)
 
n , pl flunkies, flunkeys
1.  a servile or fawning person
2.  a person who performs menial tasks
3.  derogatory usually a manservant in livery
 
[C18: of unknown origin]
 
flunkey or flunkey
 
n
 
[C18: of unknown origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

flunky
1782, Scottish dial., "footman, liveried servant," of uncertain origin, perhaps a dim. variant of flanker. Sense of "flatterer, toady" first recorded 1855.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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