lackey

lack·ey

noun

The definition of a lackey is a person who does your dirty work, or who does whatever you ask.

An example of your lackey is the guy you send to pick up your dry cleaning and take care of silly little tasks you don't feel like handling.

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"lackey." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 23 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/LACKEY>.

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lackey. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/LACKEY

lackey

noun

pl. -·eys

a male servant of low rank, usually in some sort of livery or uniform
a follower who carries out another's orders like a servant; toady

Origin of lackey

French laquais, a lackey, soldier from Catalan alacay from Spanish lacayo, lackey, footman from Old Spanish alcayaz from Arabic alq??id: see alcaide

transitive verb

intransitive verb

-·eyed, -·ey·ing

Now Rare to serve as a lackey

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MLA Style

"lackey." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 23 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/LACKEY>.

APA Style

lackey. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/LACKEY

lackey

noun

pl. lack·eys

A servile follower; a toady.
A liveried male servant; a footman.

verb

lack·eyed, lack·ey·ing, lack·eys

verb

transitive

To wait on as a footman; attend.

verb

intransitive

To act in a servile manner; fawn.

Origin of lackey

French laquais from Middle French alagues, lacayz military valet, perhaps ultimately ( via Byzantine Greek oulakēs ) from Ottoman Turkish ulak courier Old Turkic ulaq stage horse, relay horse, postal delivery from ulamaq to join, connect

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"lackey." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 23 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/LACKEY>.

APA Style

lackey. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/LACKEY

Noun

(plural lackeys)

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

Verb

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

To attend, wait upon, serve obsequiously

Origin

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-qāḍī, “magistrate”). See French laquais.