hackney

¹ American  

[hak-nee] / ˈhæk ni /

noun

plural

hackneys

1. Also called hackney coach.  a carriage or coach for hire; cab.

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.

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adjective

1. let out, employed, or done for hire.

verb (used with object)

1. to make trite, common, or stale by frequent use.

2. to use as a hackney.

Hackney ² American  

[hak-nee] / ˈhæk ni /

noun

1. a borough of Greater London, England.

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hackney ¹ British  

/ ˈhæknɪ /

noun

1. a compact breed of harness horse with a high-stepping trot

2. 1. a coach or carriage that is for hire

   2. ( as modifier )

      a hackney carriage

3. a popular term for hack 2

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verb

1. (tr; usually passive) to make commonplace and banal by too frequent use

Hackney ² British  

/ ˈhæknɪ /

noun

1. a borough of NE Greater London: formed in 1965 from the former boroughs of Shoreditch, Stoke Newington, and Hackney; nearby are Hackney Marshes, the largest recreation ground in London. Pop: 208 400 (2003 est). Area: 19 sq km (8 sq miles)

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Other Word Forms

• hackneyism noun

Etymology

Origin of hackney

1300–50; Middle English hakeney, special use of placename Hackney, Middlesex, England

Explanation

Use the word hackney to mean either an old-fashioned type of horse-drawn carriage, the type of horse used to pull such carriages, or a taxi cab. If you enjoy carriage rides through the park, you'll want to hire a hackney. The original Hackney is a British place name, an area that's now part of South London but was once rural land covered with horse pastures. The small horse known as a hackney was named after the location, and so were the carriages-for-hire such horses pulled. As automobiles replaced horses, motorized taxis borrowed the name hackney, or sometimes hackney carriage, both of which are still used today in the U.K.

Example Sentences

Black hackney cabs are meant to be the only cars you can hail on the street, but the app technology and smartphones changed that and meant people started "e-hailing" minicabs.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2023

Someone showing a miniature pinscher wants to showcase the high-stepping hackney gait that is a hallmark of the breed.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 20, 2022

I live in London, where there is a centuries-old licensed hackney carriage trade.

From New York Times • Apr. 23, 2017

“It’s a girl” was shouted from the rafters of the BT Tower to the more plebeian heights of London’s hackney cabs.

From US News • May 4, 2015

He had some dreadful troubles trying to borrow horses from people, and finally ended up on a groom’s hackney, can tering after Galahad as fast as it could go.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• carriage
• taxi
• taxicab