donkey

[dong-kee, dawng-, duhng-] /ˈdɒŋ ki, ˈdɔŋ-, ˈdʌŋ-/
noun, plural donkeys.
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; perhaps alteration of Dunkey, hypocoristic form of Duncan, man's name
Examples from the web for donkey
  • The mule combines the best features of the donkey with the best features of the horse.
  • He entered the city on the back of a donkey and was greeted with acclaim by small crowds, as the story goes.
  • Especially, perhaps, when it contends with a more rational donkey.
  • Some people take donkey rides to get to the top as it is so exhausting to climb.
  • Animals sense it also: when a donkey brays, it is said to be seeing a jinn.
  • We marched into the mansion's courtyard, paid off the donkey driver, and collapsed beside our scanty possessions.
  • Some hospitals are said to be using donkey carts in place of ambulances.
  • Imagine that one's donkey would die, they'd lose their money.
  • Patients have traveled by bus, by donkey cart, and on foot.
  • In the back of the truck, there was a huge bucket of donkey meat.
British Dictionary definitions for donkey

donkey

/ˈdɒŋkɪ/
noun
1.
Also called ass. a long-eared domesticated member of the horse family (Equidae), descended from the African wild ass (Equus asinus)
2.
a stupid or stubborn person
3.
(Brit, slang, derogatory) a footballer known for his or her lack of skill: the players are a bunch of overpriced and overrated donkeys
4.
talk the hind leg(s) off a donkey, to talk endlessly
Word Origin
C18: perhaps from dun dark + -key, as in monkey
Word Origin and History for donkey
n.

1785, originally slang, perhaps a diminutive from dun "dull gray-brown," the form perhaps influenced by monkey. Or possibly from a familiar form of Duncan (cf. dobbin). The older English word was ass (n.1).

donkey in Culture

donkey definition


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