lackey

or lac·quey

[lak-ee]

See more synonyms for lackey on Thesaurus.com

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.

Origin of lackey

1520–30; < Middle French laquais, perhaps < Catalan lacayo, alacayo < ?

Related formsun·lack·eyed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for lackey

drudge, domestic, valet, butler, retainer, toady, subordinate, attendant, steward, underling, doormat, factotum, flunkey

Examples from the Web for lackey

Contemporary Examples of lackey

A buck-naked Jamal—don't ask—is dealing with the lackey by beating him in a bathroom.
Generic and Superficial ‘Tyrant’ Amerisplains the Middle East
Andrew Romano
June 25, 2014
When Wayne returns, the U.S. government sends its lackey Superman to pound some sense into Batman.
The Super-Stuffed Superhero Movie
Chancellor Agard
December 11, 2013
Last term Netanyahu gave the post to his lackey Yuval Steinitz, who was never heard from again.
Lapid Lost, Obama Distracts
Gershom Gorenberg
March 21, 2013
Opposition leaders criticized him for being a Kremlin lackey.
Putin’s Biggest Threat: Billionaire Playboy Mikhail Prokhorov
Anna Nemtsova
March 2, 2012
Most important, his people do not see him as a lackey of the United States.
Mubarak Won't Run Again: Who's Next in the Middle East?
Stephen Kinzer
February 1, 2011

Historical Examples of lackey

A lackey had been discharged for some cause or other, and it was believed he had taken it.
Wilfrid Cumbermede
George MacDonald
You talk glibly of ruining—but then you talk to a groom and lackey.
The Historical Nights' Entertainment
Rafael Sabatini
To let the lackey live would be to have the bargelli in the house by morning.
The Historical Nights' Entertainment
Rafael Sabatini
She paused, however, and, turning to the lackey who followed at her heels.
The Suitors of Yvonne
Raphael Sabatini
The lackey who was summoned did not know where the lady might be found, nor when she might return to Paris.
The Suitors of Yvonne
Raphael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for lackey

lackey

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for 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.