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jock·ey

(jŏkē)

n. pl. jock·eys

1. Sports One who rides horses in races, especially as a profession.

2. Informal One whose occupation or hobby involves a specified machine, device, or object: a computer jockey; a desk jockey.

v. jock·eyed, jock·ey·ing, jock·eys

v.tr.

1. Sports To ride (a horse) as jockey.

2. To direct or maneuver by cleverness or skill: jockeyed the car into a tight space.

3. To trick; cheat.

v.intr.

1. Sports To ride a horse in a race.

2. To maneuver for a certain position or advantage: jockeying for a promotion.

3. To employ trickery.

[Diminutive of Scots Jock, variant of Jack; see JACK.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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