lackey

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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.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

lackey

(ˈlækɪ)

1. a servile follower; hanger-on

2. (Professions) a liveried male servant or valet

3. a person who is treated like a servant

(when: intr, often foll by for) to act as a lackey (to)

Also (rare): lacquey

[C16: via French laquais, from Old French, perhaps from Catalan lacayo, alacayo; perhaps related to alcalde]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

lack•ey

(ˈlæk i)

n., pl. -eys,
v. n.

1. a servile follower; toady.

2. a liveried manservant; footman.

v.t.

3. to serve obsequiously.

[1520–30; < Middle French laquais]

lackey

Past participle: lackeyed
Gerund: lackeying

Imperative
lackey
lackey

Present
I lackey
you lackey
he/she/it lackeys
we lackey
you lackey
they lackey

Preterite
I lackeyed
you lackeyed
he/she/it lackeyed
we lackeyed
you lackeyed
they lackeyed

Present Continuous
I am lackeying
you are lackeying
he/she/it is lackeying
we are lackeying
you are lackeying
they are lackeying

Present Perfect
I have lackeyed
you have lackeyed
he/she/it has lackeyed
we have lackeyed
you have lackeyed
they have lackeyed

Past Continuous
I was lackeying
you were lackeying
he/she/it was lackeying
we were lackeying
you were lackeying
they were lackeying

Past Perfect
I had lackeyed
you had lackeyed
he/she/it had lackeyed
we had lackeyed
you had lackeyed
they had lackeyed

Future
I will lackey
you will lackey
he/she/it will lackey
we will lackey
you will lackey
they will lackey

Future Perfect
I will have lackeyed
you will have lackeyed
he/she/it will have lackeyed
we will have lackeyed
you will have lackeyed
they will have lackeyed

Future Continuous
I will be lackeying
you will be lackeying
he/she/it will be lackeying
we will be lackeying
you will be lackeying
they will be lackeying

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been lackeying
you have been lackeying
he/she/it has been lackeying
we have been lackeying
you have been lackeying
they have been lackeying

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been lackeying
you will have been lackeying
he/she/it will have been lackeying
we will have been lackeying
you will have been lackeying
they will have been lackeying

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been lackeying
you had been lackeying
he/she/it had been lackeying
we had been lackeying
you had been lackeying
they had been lackeying

Conditional
I would lackey
you would lackey
he/she/it would lackey
we would lackey
you would lackey
they would lackey

Past Conditional
I would have lackeyed
you would have lackeyed
he/she/it would have lackeyed
we would have lackeyed
you would have lackeyed
they would have lackeyed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	lackey - a male servant (especially a footman) flunkey, flunky servant, retainer - a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
	2.	lackey - a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage ass-kisser, crawler, sycophant, toady apple polisher, bootlicker, fawner, groveler, groveller, truckler - someone who humbles himself as a sign of respect; who behaves as if he had no self-respect adulator, flatterer - a person who uses flattery goody-goody - a person who behaves extremely well in order to please a superior

lackey

noun hanger-on, fawner, pawn, attendant, tool, instrument, parasite, cohort (chiefly U.S.), valet, menial, minion, footman, sycophant, yes-man, manservant, toady, flunky, brown-noser (taboo slang), flatterer, ass-kisser (U.S. & Canad. taboo slang), varlet (archaic) I'm not staying as a paid lackey to act as your yes-man.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

lokaj

lakaj

lakeija

lackey

[ˈlækɪ] N (gen) → lacayo m (also fig)

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

lackey

[ˈlæki] n → laquais m

lackey

n (lit, fig) → Lakai m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

lackey

[ˈlækɪ] n (also) (pej) → lacchè m inv

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References in classic literature ?

When D'Artagnan was out of the Louvre, and consulted his friends upon the use he had best make of his share of the forty pistoles, Athos advised him to order a good repast at the Pomme-de-Pin, Porthos to engage a lackey, and Aramis to provide himself with a suitable mistress.

The repast was carried into effect that very day, and the lackey waited at table.

As for Aramis, of whom we believe we have sufficiently explained the character--a character which, like that of his lackey was called Bazin.

With regard to D'Artagnan, we know how he was lodged, and we have already made acquaintance with his lackey, Master Planchet.

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To a lackey no man can be great, for a lackey has his own conception of greatness.

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They drank--that is, Nathaniel Letton took mineral water served by the smoothly operating machine of a lackey who inhabited the place, while Dowsett took Scotch and soda and Daylight a cocktail.

View in context

The archdeacon had in Quasimodo the most submissive slave, the most docile lackey, the most vigilant of dogs.

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They could all talk well enough when they were out in the street; but as soon as they came inside the palace gates, and saw the guard richly dressed in silver, and the lackeys in gold on the staircase, and the large illuminated saloons, then they were abashed; and when they stood before the throne on which the Princess was sitting, all they could do was to repeat the last word they had uttered, and to hear it again did not interest her very much.

"That may be," said the Raven; "I did not examine him so minutely; but I know from my tame sweetheart, that when he came into the court-yard of the palace, and saw the body-guard in silver, the lackeys on the staircase, he was not the least abashed; he nodded, and said to them, 'It must be very tiresome to stand on the stairs; for my part, I shall go in.' The saloons were gleaming with lustres--privy councillors and excellencies were walking about barefooted, and wore gold keys; it was enough to make any one feel uncomfortable.

It is not possible for you to enter the palace, for you are barefooted: the guards in silver, and the lackeys in gold, would not allow it; but do not cry, you shall come in still.

View in context

Stop, you rascals!" These last words were addressed to the lackeys who pushed and dragged him.

Mousqueton shouted, "Fall back, you fellows," with such powerful lungs that the breath, without the words, would have been sufficient to disperse the four lackeys. D'Artagnan seated himself on the shaft of the box and opened his ears.