Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

donkey

/ˈdɒŋ.ki/ noun

In Latin: asellus, asinus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about donkey at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The symbol of the Democratic Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874.
Domestic beast of burden descended from the African wild ass; patient but stubborn.

Origin

The origin is uncertain. Originally a slang term from the late eighteenth century. Perhaps from Middle English *donekie (“a miniature dun horse”), a double diminutive of Middle English don, dun, dunne (a name for a dun horse), equivalent to modern English dun (“brownish grey colour”) + -ock (diminutive suffix) + -ie (diminutive suffix), or similarly formed from the given name Duncan. Compare Middle English donning (“a dun horse”), English dunnock. Became more common than the original term ass due to the latter's homophony and partial merger with arse (compare similar development between coney and rabbit).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word