lackey
or lac·quey
[ lak-ee ]
/ ˈlæk i /
noun, plural lack·eys.
a servile follower; toady.
a footman or liveried manservant.
verb (used with object), lack·eyed, lack·ey·ing.
to attend as a lackey does.
RELATED WORDS
drudge, domestic, valet, butler, retainer, toady, subordinate, attendant, steward, underling, doormat, factotum, flunkey
Nearby words
- lack,
- lackadaisical,
- lackaday,
- lackawanna,
- lacker,
- lackey moth,
- lacking,
- lackland air force base,
- lackluster,
- lacklustre
Origin of lackey
1520–30; < Middle French laquais, perhaps < Catalan lacayo, alacayo < ?
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for lackey
lackey
/ (ˈlækɪ) /
noun
a servile follower; hanger-on
a liveried male servant or valet
a person who is treated like a servant
verb
(when intr, often foll by for) to act as a lackey (to)
Also (rare): lacquey
Word Origin for lackey
C16: via French laquais, from Old French, perhaps from Catalan lacayo, alacayo; perhaps related to alcalde
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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lackey
1520s, "footman, running footman, valet," from Middle French laquais "foot soldier, footman, servant" (15c.), of unknown origin; perhaps from Old Provençal lacai, from lecai "glutton, covetous," from lecar "to lick." Alternative etymology is via French from Catalan alacay, from Arabic al-qadi "the judge." Yet another guess traces it through Spanish lacayo, from Italian lacchè, from Modern Greek oulakes, from Turkish ulak "runner, courier." This suits the original sense better, but OED says Italian lacchè is from French. Sense of "servile follower" appeared 1580s. As a political term of abuse it dates from 1939 in communist jargon.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper