hack⋅ney
/ˈhæk
ni/ 
Show Spelled Pronunciation [hak-nee] Show IPA noun, plural -neys, adjective, verb –noun | 2. | a trotting horse used for drawing a light carriage or the like. |
| 3. | a horse used for ordinary riding or driving. |
| 4. | (initial capital letter) one of an English breed of horses having a high-stepping gait. |
–adjective | 5. | let out, employed, or done for hire. |
–verb (used with object) | 6. | to make trite, common, or stale by frequent use. |
Origin: 1300–50; ME
hakeney, special use of placename
Hackney, Middlesex, England
Related forms: hack⋅ney⋅ism, noun
hack·ney (hāk'nē)
n.
pl. hack·neys
often Hackney A horse of a breed developed in England, having a gait characterized by pronounced flexion of the knee. A trotting horse suited for routine riding or driving; a hack. A coach or carriage for hire.
tr.v.
hack·neyed, hack·ney·ing, hack·neys
To cause to become banal and trite through overuse. To hire out; let.
adj. Banal; trite. Having been hired.
[Middle English hakenei, probably after Hakenei, Hackney, a borough of London, England, where such horses were raised.] |
hack·neyed (hāk'nēd)
adj. Overfamiliar through overuse; trite. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Word Origin & History
hackney
