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

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

From New York Times • Apr. 23, 2017

“This hackney driver exhibited exemplary behavior and his honest deed should be recognized,” Police Commissioner William Evans said in a statement.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 5, 2016

After a brief tussle with sedan chairs, horse-drawn hackney carriages ruled the streets for the best part of 300 years.

From The Guardian • Apr. 27, 2016

“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

“Oh! but their removing from the chaise into a hackney coach is such a presumption! And, besides, no traces of them were to be found on the Barnet road.”

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Related Words

• carriage
• taxi
• taxicab