# donkey
## English
### Etymology

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). 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).

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈdɒŋki/
* (General American) IPA: /ˈdɑŋki/, /ˈdɔŋki/; (rare and nonstandard) /ˈdʌŋki/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Audio (UK):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɒŋki
* Hyphenation: don‧key

### Noun

donkey (plural donkeys or (obsolete) donkies)
* A domestic animal, Equus asinus asinus, similar to a horse.
** 1776 August 24, “[untitled]”, in Ipswich Journal‎, Ipswich, Suffolk, page 1:Lost last Saturday between twenty and thirty shillings they that have found it please to leave it heare there is five shillings reward by Wm. Roberts that goeth with a Donkey with many thanks
** 1785, Anonymous [Francis Grose], A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue‎, London: S. Hooper:DONKEY, donkey dick, a he, or jack ass, called donkey, perhaps from the Spanish, or don like gravity of that animal, entitled also the king of Spain's trumpeter
** 2013 November 17, Robert Frost, Delphi Collected Works of Robert Frost (Illustrated) (Delphi Poets Series)‎, Delphi Classics, →ISBN, →OCLC:I vow we must be near the place from where The two converging slides, the avalanches, On Marshall, look like donkey's ears. We may as well see that and save the day.” “Don't donkey's ears suggest we shake our own? 'For God's sake, aren't you fond of viewing nature? […]
* A stubborn person.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:stubborn person
* A fool.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:fool
* (nautical) A small auxiliary engine.
    Synonym: donkey engine
* (naval slang, dated) A box or chest, especially a toolbox.
* (poker slang) A bad poker player.
* British sea term for a sailor's storage chest.
** 1903, W. H. Hood, The Blight of Insubordination‎, page 80:The chest may be found among those who stick to the sailing vessels, but for the steamer, the donkey died its natural death when the Suez Canal—responsible for many changes at sea—became an accomplished fact.

#### Hyponyms

* jack
* jackass
* jenny

#### Derived terms

* antidonkey
* Balkan donkey
* Buridan's donkey
* dead donkey
* donkey anaphora
* donkeyback
* donkey bid
* donkey boiler
* donkey-boy
* donkey cock
* donkeycock, donkeydick
* donkey dick
* donkey drop
* donkey ears
* donkey engine
* donkey fringe
* donkeyfucker
* donkeyish
* donkeyism
* donkey jacket
* donkey kick
* Donkey Kong
* donkeyman
* donkey orchid
* donkeypower
* donkey pronoun
* donkey pump
* donkey punch
* donkey-punch
* donkey rhubarb
* donkey's ears
* donkey sentence
* donkey's eye
* donkeyshit
* donkey shoe
* donkey show
* donkey stone
* donkey stool
* donkey vote
* donkey voter
* donkey work
* donkey’s years
* donkra
* heavy as a dead donkey
* hung like a donkey
* miniature donkey
* nodding donkey
* pin the tail on the donkey
* Sardinian donkey
* sea donkey
* Spanish donkey
* steam donkey
* suck donkey balls
* suck donkey cock
* suck donkey dick
* talk the ears off a donkey
* talk the hind leg off a donkey
* talk the hind legs off a donkey
* up goes the donkey
* weredonkey
* young donkey
* zeedonk
* zonkey

#### Descendants

* → Afrikaans: donkie
* → Northern Sotho: tonki
* → Tok Pisin: donki
* → Urdu: ڈَنْکی (ḍaṅkī)

#### Translations

Abkhaz: аҽада (aĉada)
Adyghe: щыды (śədə)
Afar: danán m
Afrikaans: donkie (af)
Akkadian: 𒀲 m (imēru)
Albanian: gomar (sq) m, magar m
Amharic: አህያ (äheyya)
Andi: гьаморохи (hamoroxi)
Arabic: حِمَار (ar) m (ḥimār)
Egyptian Arabic: حمار m (ḥumār, ḥmār)
Gulf Arabic: حمار m (ḥmār)
Hijazi Arabic: حُمار m (ḥumār)
Iraqi Arabic: زمال m (zmāl)
Moroccan Arabic: حمار m (ḥmār), حمارة f (ḥmāra), دحش (daḥš) (♂ offspring), دحشة f (daḥša) (♀ offspring)
Tunisian Arabic: بهيم m (bhīm)
Aramaic:
Classical Syriac: ܚܡܪܐ c (ḥəmārā), ܚܡܪܬܐ f (ḥəmārtā), ܐܬܢܐ f (ʾăṯānā)
Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: חֲמָרָא m (ḥămārā)
Armenian: էշ (hy) (ēš), ավանակ (hy) (avanak)
Aromanian: cãci, dãngã, gumar, dãnglãrã, shonj, tãronj, uci, uricljat, tar
Assamese: গাধ (gadh)
Asturian: burru (ast) m, burra (ast) f, pollín (ast) m
Atong (India): gada
Avar: хӏама (ḥʳama)
Awadhi: गदहा m (gadhā)
Azerbaijani: eşşək (az), ulaq
Baluchi: ہر (har)
Bashkir: ишәк (işək)
Basque: asto (eu)
Bau Bidayuh: kaldei
Belarusian: асёл m (asjól)
Bengali: গাধা (bn) (gadha)
Bhojpuri: गदहा (gadᵊhā)
Breton: azen (br) m
Budukh: лем (lem)
Bulgarian: мага́ре (bg) n (magáre), осе́л (bg) m (osél) (dated)
Burmese: မြည်း (my) (mrany:)
Buryat: элжэгэн (elžegen)
Catalan: ase (ca) m, somera (ca) f, burro (ca) m, burra (ca) f, ruc (ca) m, ruca (ca) f
Central Melanau: keledai
Chechen: вир (vir)
Cherokee: ᏗᎦᎵᏅᎯᏛ (digalinvhidv)
Cheyenne: a'éevo'ha
Chichewa: bulu
Chickasaw: haksibish falaa'
Chinese:
Cantonese: 驢 / 驴 (leoi$^4$, lou$^4$)
Dungan: лү (lü)
Eastern Min: 驢 / 驴 (lè̤)
Hakka: 驢仔 / 驴仔 (lì-é)
Hokkien: 驢 / 驴 (zh-min-nan) (lû, lî, lîr), 驢仔 / 驴仔 (zh-min-nan) (lû-á, lî-á, lîr-á)
Mandarin: 驢 / 驴 (zh) (lǘ), 驢子 / 驴子 (zh) (lǘzi)
Wu: 驢 / 驴
Chuukese: tongki
Chuvash: ашак (aš̬ak)
Coptic: ⲉⲱ (eō)
Crimean Tatar: eşek
Czech: osel (cs) m
Dalmatian: samur m
Danish: æsel (da) n
Dhivehi: ހިާމރު
Dutch: ezel (nl) m
Eastern Mari: осёл (osjol)
Egyptian: (ꜥꜣ m)
Elfdalian: åsn f
Esperanto: azeno (eo)
Estonian: eesel (et)
Ewe: tedzi n
Faroese: asni
Finnish: aasi (fi)
French: âne (fr) m
Friulian: mus
Gagauz: eşek, yeşek
Galician: asno (gl), burro (gl)
Ge'ez: አድግ (ʾädg)
Georgian: ვირი (ka) (viri), ჯორი (ka) (ǯori) (dialectal)
German: Esel (de) m; Grauchen (de) n (diminutive, pet form), Grautier n (humorous)
Gothic: 𐌰𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌿𐍃 (asilus)
Greek: γάιδαρος (el) m (gáidaros), γαϊδούρα (el) f (gaïdoúra), γαϊδούρι (el) n (gaïdoúri), όνος (el) m or f (ónos) (formal, archaic)
Ancient: ὄνος m or f (ónos)
Greenlandic: siutitooq
Gujarati: ગધેડો (gadheḍo)
Hausa: jaki (ha)
Hebrew: חֲמוֹר (he) m (khamór), אָתוֹן (he) f (atón)
Hindi: गधा (hi) m (gadhā)
Hungarian: szamár (hu)
Icelandic: asni (is)
Ido: asno (io)
Indonesian: keledai (id)
Ingush: вир (vir)
Interlingua: asino
Irish: asal (ga) m
Istriot: samèri m pl
Italian: asino (it) m, somaro (it) m, buricco m, ciuco (it)
Japanese: 驢馬 (ja) (ろば, roba), ロバ (ja) (roba)
Kabyle: aɣyul m
Kalmyk: элҗгн (eljgn)
Kambaata: harreta
Kannada: ಕತ್ತೆ (kn) (katte)
Karachay-Balkar: эшек (eşek)
Kashmiri: خَر m (khar)
Kashubian: osoł m, òseł
Kazakh: есек (esek)
Khmer: សត្វលា (sat liə), លា (km) (liə)
Konkani: गाढू (gāḍhū)
Korean: 당나귀 (ko) (dangnagwi), 나귀 (ko) (nagwi)
Kriol: ginggong ginggong
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: کەر (ckb) (ker)
Northern Kurdish: ker (ku) m
Kyrgyz: эшек (ky) (eşek)
Ladin:
badiot: müsc m
fascian: èsen m, musciat m
gherdëina: musciat m
Lao: ລາ (lā), ມ້າລໍ (mā lǭ)
Latin: asellus, asinus m
Latvian: ēzelis m
Laz: ეშეღი (eşeği)
Lezgi: лам (lam)
Ligurian: ase
Limburgish: aezel (li)
Lithuanian: asilas (lt) m
Low German: Esel (nds) m
Lü: ᩃᩣ
Luo: punda
Luxembourgish: Iesel m
Macedonian: магаре (mk) n (magare)
Malagasy: ampondra (mg)
Malay:
Jawi: کلداي (ms), حمار
Rumi: keldai (ms), himar
Malayalam: കഴുത (ml) (kaḻuta)
Maltese: ħmar m
Manchu: ᡝᡳᡥᡝᠨ (eihen)
Manx: assyl m
Maori: kāihe
Marathi: गाढव (mr) m (gāḍhav)
Mingrelian: გირინი (girini)
Mirandese: please add this translation if you can
Moksha: ишме (išme)
Mon: ချး (mnw)
Mongolian: илжиг (mn) (ilžig)
Navajo: télii
Neapolitan: ciuccio
Norman: âne m
Northern Sami: ásen
Norwegian: esel (no) n
Occitan: ase (oc), asne (oc) m
Odia: ଗଧ (or) (gadha)
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: осьлъ m (osĭlŭ)
Old East Slavic: осьлъ m (osĭlŭ)
Old English: esol m
Old French: asne m
Oromo: harree (om)
Ossetian: хӕрӕг (xæræg)
Ottoman Turkish: اشك (eşek), مركب (merkeb)
Pali: gadrabha m
Pashto: خر (ps) m (xar)
Persian: خر (fa) (xar), الاغ (fa) (olâğ)
Plautdietsch: Äsel m
Polabian: asål m
Polish: osioł (pl) m, oślica (pl) f (female)
Portuguese: asno (pt) m, jerico (pt) m, jegue (pt) m, jumento (pt) m, burro (pt) m
Punjabi: ਗਧਾ (gadhā)
Quechua: wuru, asnu
Romani: magari m, magarka f
Romanian: măgar (ro) m, asin (ro) m
Romansch: asen
Russian: осёл (ru) m (osjól), осли́ца (ru) f (oslíca) (female), иша́к (ru) m (išák)
Saho: zanan
Samoan: asini
Sanskrit: गर्दभ (sa) m (gardabha)
Sardinian: burriccu, molenti, molingianu, àinu
Campidanese: àinu, bestiolu, molènti, bistrassu
Logudorese: poleddu, polléddu, pulléddu, àinu, àinu
Scots: cuddie
Scottish Gaelic: asal f
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ма̀гарац m, то̀вар m
Roman: màgarac (sh) m, tòvar (sh) m
Sicilian: sceccu (scn) m
Sidamo: harre
Sindhi: گڏھ (gaḋahu)
Sinhalese: බූරුවා (si) (būruwā)
Slovak: somár m, osol (sk) m
Slovene: osel (sl) m, oslica f
Somali: dameer (so) m
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: ezel m, wósoł m
Upper Sorbian: wosoł m
Sotho: tonki (st)
Southern Altai: эштек (eštek)
Spanish: asno (es) m, burro (es) m, jumento (es)
Sumerian: 𒀲 (ANŠE)
Swahili: punda (sw)
Swedish: åsna (sv)
Tagalog: asno (tl), buriko
Tajik: хар (tg) (xar)
Tamil: கழுதை (ta) (kaḻutai)
Taos: mùlduʼúna
Tarifit: aɣyur m
Tatar: ишәк (tt) (işäk)
Telugu: గాడిద (te) (gāḍida)
Thai: ลา (th) (laa)
Tibetan: བོང་བུ (bong bu)
Tigrinya: ኣድጊ (ʾadgi)
Tocharian B: kercapo
Tok Pisin: donki, esel
Tumbuka: bulu
Turkish: eşek (tr), merkep (tr), sıpa (tr) (offspring)
Turkmen: eşek
Tuvan: элчиген (elçigen)
Udi: елем (elem)
Udmurt: ишак (išak), осёл (ośol)
Ukrainian: осе́л m (osél), віслю́к m (visljúk), іша́к m (išák)
Urdu: گدھا m (gadhā)
Uyghur: ئېشەك (ëshek)
Uzbek: eshak (uz)
Venetan: muso (vec) m, àxeno (vec) m
Vietnamese: lừa (vi)
Volapük: cuk (vo)
Wakhi: xur
Walloon: ågne (wa) m or f, bådet (wa) m, både (wa) f, bourike (wa) f (♂♀), ågntea (wa) m (♂♀ offspring)
Welsh: asyn m
West Coast Bajau: keribas
West Frisian: ezel
Wolof: mbaam-sëf mi, mbaam-sëf
Xhosa: imbongolo
Yakut: осёл (osol)
Yiddish: אייזל m (eyzl), חמור m (khamer)
Yoruba: kẹ́tẹ́kẹ́tẹ́
Zazaki: her (diq)
Zulu: imbongolo, udonki
Zuni: moshok'o :

#### See also

* ass
* mule
* hinny

#### References

* (box or chest): 1930, Naval Review (London) (volume 18, page 592)

#### Further reading

* Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “donkey”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
* “donkey”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.