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lack·ey

(lăkē)

n. pl. lack·eys

1. A servile follower; a toady.

2. A liveried male servant; a footman.

v. lack·eyed, lack·ey·ing, lack·eys

v.tr.

To wait on as a footman; attend.

v.intr.

To act in a servile manner; fawn.

[French laquais, from Middle French alagues, lacayz, military valet, perhaps ultimately (via Byzantine Greek oulakēs) from Ottoman Turkish ulak, courier; akin to Old Turkic ulaq, stage horse, relay horse, postal delivery, from ulamaq, to join, connect.]

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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