Definition of HACKNEY

hackney

Meanings

Plural: hackneys

Noun

  • a carriage for hire
  • a compact breed of harness horse
  • An ordinary horse.
  • A carriage for hire or a cab.
  • A horse used to ride or drive.
  • A breed of English horse.
  • A hired drudge; a hireling; a prostitute.
  • Inferior writing; literary hackwork.

Adj

  • Offered for hire.
  • Much used; trite; mean.

Verb

  • To make uninteresting or trite by frequent use.
  • To use as a hackney.
  • To carry in a hackney coach.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English hakeney, from the placename Hackney (formerly a town; now a borough of London), used for grazing horses before sale, from Old English Hacan īeġ (“Haca's Island”, literally “Hook's Island”). The Old French haquenée (“ambling mare for ladies”), Latinized in England to hakeneius, is originally from the English.

Synonyms

hackney carriage, hackney coach

Scrabble Score: 19

hackney is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
hackney is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
hackney is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 19

hackney is a valid Words With Friends word