lackey
/ˈlæ.ki/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms lackeys lackeying lackeyed lacquey lacky
- noun A footman, a liveried male servant.
- noun A fawning, servile follower.
- verb (transitive) To attend, wait upon, serve obsequiously.
- verb (intransitive, obsolete) To toady, play the flunky.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
lickspittle acolyte adjutant aide bootlicker disciple flunkey footman satrap follower henchman hireling inferior lap dog man Friday minion myrmidon poodle retainer right-hand man flunky sycophant toady crawler ass-kisser
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French laquais, which is probably (via Old Occitan lacai?) from Spanish lacayo, itself perhaps from Italian lacchè and Greek λακές (lakés), from Turkish ulak. Another possibility is through French, from Arabic الْقَائِد (al-qāʔid). See French laquais.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An attending male servant; a footman; a servile follower.
- verb To attend as a lackey; to wait upon.
- verb To act or serve as lackey; to pay servile attendance.
Etymology [F. laquais; cf. Sp. & Pg. lacayo; of uncertain origin; perh. of German origin, and akin to E.lick, v.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “lackey”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details