lackey

English

Alternative forms

• lacquey (verb only)

Etymology

Middle French laquais, which is probably (via Old Provençal lacai?) from Spanish lacayo, itself perhaps from Italian lacchè and Greek λακές (lakés), from Turkish ulak. Another possibility is through French, from Catalan alacay, from Arabic القاضي (al-qāḍi, “magistrate”). See French laquais.

Pronunciation

• X-SAMPA: /"l{.ki/
• IPA: /ˈlæ.ki/
• Rhymes: -æki

Noun

lackey (plural lackeys)

1. A footman, a liveried male servant.
2. A fawning, servile follower; a lickspittle.

Translations

liveried male servant

• Armenian: սպասավոր (hy) (spasavor)
• Czech: lokaj (cs) m
• Danish: lakaj (da) c
• Dutch: lakei (nl) m
• Finnish: lakeija (fi)
• French: laquais (fr) m

• German: Lakai (de) m
• Hungarian: lakáj (hu)
• Italian: lacchè (it) m
• Macedonian: лакеј (mk) (lakéj) m
• Norwegian: lakei (no) m
• Russian: лакей (ru) (lakéj) m

a fawning, servile follower

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 走狗 (cmn) (zǒugǒu), 狗腿子 (cmn) (gǒutǔizǐ)

• Danish: lakaj (da) c
• Dutch: lakei (nl) m, slaafje (nl), voetvaag (nl)
• French: laquais (fr) m
• German: Lakai (de) m

• Hungarian: lakáj (hu)
• Italian: leccaculo (it) m, lacchè (it)
• Japanese: 走狗 (ja) (そうく, sōku)
• Norwegian: lakei (no) m
• Russian: холуй (ru) (xolúj) m, лакей (ru) (lakéj) m, прихвостень (ru) (príxvostenʹ) m

Verb

lackey (third-person singular simple present lackeys, present participle lackeying, simple past and past participle lackeyed)

1. (transitive) To attend, wait upon, serve obsequiously
   • Milton

     A thousand liveried angels lackey her.

2. (intransitive, obsolete) To toady, play the flunky

References

• "lackey." Online Etymology Dictionary. 2008