lackey

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No Mendelssohn, no Meyerbeer, no Rossini, would have dreamed of gaining a king, even the king of a minor bankrupt state, as his lackey--and his generous paymaster.

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Definitions (13)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun A liveried male servant; a footman.
  2. noun A servile follower; a toady.
  3. transitive verb To wait on as a footman; attend.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Examples (50)

  • If they didn't have America as their lackey, the world would be living in true peace. (please note the sarcasm) —  Gentile Warrior
  • No Mendelssohn, no Meyerbeer, no Rossini, would have dreamed of gaining a king, even the king of a minor bankrupt state, as his lackey--and his generous paymaster. —  Richard Wagner Composer of Operas
  • He had kept her waiting like a lackey, then had sought cynically to discover how far her devotion to her country's safety would carry her. —  Bunker Bean
  • He was not regarded as a clever musician forced to do lackey's work; he was a lackey--or, at least, a peasant--given a chance of making himself a clever musician. —  Haydn
  • He was received at the door by a very fine lackey, and taken up a wide staircase, so richly carpeted that the footfall could not be heard upon it. —  Tom Tufton's Travels
 

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. French laquais, from Old French.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Formerly also lacky, lacquey, laquay, laquey; = D. lakkei, = German lackei, lakei, lakai = Danish lakei, from Old French laquay, French laquais, earlier laquais, laquays, laquoys, lacais, lacays, laccay, lacquet, also alacay, alague, a soldier, a lackey, footman, from Spanish lacayo = Portuguese lacaio, a lackey (Portuguese lacaia, feminine, a female servant; on the stage, a soubrette); origin uncertain; perhaps later Arabic luka, feminine lak'ā, worthless, servile, a slave; cf. lakū, lakī, servile, lākā'i, slovenly. According to Diez, connected with Provencal lacai, a gormand, and ult. with Italian leccare = French lécher, lick: see lech, lecher, and lick.
  2. Formerly also lacky; from lackey, n.
 

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/ˈlæki/
by American Heritage

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