donkey

English

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. Originally a slang term from 1785. Perhaps from the name Duncan; or 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 dunnock.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

A donkey.

donkey (plural donkeys)

a domestic animal, Equus asinus asinus, similar to a horse
a stubborn person
a fool
(nautical) a small auxiliary engine, also called donkey engine
(poker slang) a bad poker player

Synonyms

See also Thesaurus:stubborn person

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Descendants

→ Afrikaans: donkie

Translations

a domestic animal — See also translations at ass

Abkhaz: аҽада (āčādā)
Adyghe: щыды (š̍ədə)
Afrikaans: donkie
Akkadian: 𒀲 m (imēru)
Albanian: gomar (sq) m, magar m
Amharic: አህያ (ʾähya)
Arabic: حِمَار‎ (ar) m (ḥimār)
Egyptian Arabic: حمار‎ m (ḥumār, ḥmār)

Moroccan Arabic: حمار‎ m (ḥamār), حمارة‎ f (ḥamāra), دحش‎ (daḥš) (♂ offspring), دحشة‎ f (daḥša) (♀ offspring)
Aramaic:
Hebrew: חמרא‎ c (ħəmārā)

Syriac: ܚܡܪܐ‎ c (ħəmārā)
Armenian: էշ (hy) (ēš), ավանակ (hy) (avanak)
Aromanian: cãci, dãngã, gumar, dãnglãrã, shonj, tãronj, uci, uricljat, tar
Assamese: গাধ (gadho)
Asturian: burru (ast) m, burra (ast) f
Avar: хӏама (ḥama)
Awadhi: गदहा m (gadhā)
Azerbaijani: eşşək (az), ulaq
Baluchi: ہر‎ (har)
Bashkir: ишәк (išäk)
Basque: asto (eu)
Bau Bidayuh: kaldei
Belarusian: асёл m (asjól)
Bengali: গাধা (gadha)
Breton: azen (br) m
Budukh: лем (lem)
Bulgarian: мага́ре (bg) n (magáre)
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 (wir)
Cherokee: ᏗᎦᎵᏅᎯᏛ (digalinvhidv)
Chichewa: bulu
Chickasaw: haksibish falaa'
Chinese:
Mandarin: 驢 (zh), 驴 (zh) (lǘ), (regional) 驢子 (zh), 驴子 (zh) (lǘzi)
Chuukese: tongki
Chuvash: ашак (ašak)
Crimean Tatar: eşek
Czech: osel (cs) m
Dalmatian: samur m
Danish: æsel (da) n
Dhivehi: ހިާމރު‎ (hiާmru)
Dutch: ezel (nl) m
Eastern Mari: осёл (osjol)
Egyptian:

(ꜥꜣ m)
Elfdalian: åsn f
Esperanto: azeno (eo)
Estonian: eesel
Ewe: tedzi n
Faroese: asni
Finnish: aasi (fi)
French: âne (fr) m
Friulian: mus
Galician: asno (gl), burro (gl)
Georgian: ვირი (ka) (viri), ჯორი (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 (wir)
Interlingua: asino
Irish: asal (ga) m
Istriot: samèri m pl
Italian: asino (it) m, somaro (it) m, buricco m, ciuco
Japanese: 驢馬 (ja) (ろば, roba), ロバ (ja) (roba)
Kalmyk: элҗгн (eljgn)
Kannada: ಕತ್ತೆ (kn) (katte)
Karachay-Balkar: эшек (eşek)
Kashubian: osoł m
Kazakh: есек (kk) (esek)
Khmer: សត្វលា (sat lie), លា (km) (liə)
Korean: 당나귀 (ko) (dangnagwi), 나귀 (ko) (nagwi)
Kriol: ginggong ginggong
Kurdish: ker (ku) m
Sorani: که‌ر‎ (ku) (ker)
Kyrgyz: эшек (ky) (eşek)
Ladin: musc, musciat m
Lao: ລາ (lā), ມ້າລໍ (mā lǭ)
Latin: asellus, asinus m
Latvian: ēzelis m
Laz: ეშეღი (ešeɣi)
Lezgi: лам (lam)
Ligurian: ase
Limburgish: aezel (li)

Lithuanian: asilas (lt) m
Low German: Esel m
Luo: punda
Luxembourgish: Iesel m
Lü: ᩃᩣ
Macedonian: магаре n (magare)
Malay:
Jawi: کلداي‎, حمار‎

Rumi: keldai, himar
Malayalam: കഴുത (ml) (kaḻuta)
Maltese: ħmar m
Manchu: ᡝᡳᡥᡝᠨ (eihen)
Manx: assyl m
Maori: kāihe
Marathi: गाढव m (gāḍhav)
Mirandese: please add this translation if you can
Moksha: ишме (išme)
Mongolian: илжиг (mn) (ilžig)
Navajo: télii
Neapolitan: ciuccio
Norman: âne m
Northern Sami: ásen
Norwegian: esel (no) n
Occitan: ase (oc), asne (oc) m
Old French: asne m
Oriya: ଗଧ (or) (gadha)
Ossetian: хӕрӕг (xæræg)
Pashto: خر‎ (ps) m (xar)
Persian: خر‎ (fa) (xar), الاغ‎ (fa) (olâğ)
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)
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
Sindhi: گڏھ‎ (gaḋahu)
Sinhalese: බූරුවා (si) (būruvā)
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: buriko
Tajik: хар (tg) (xar)
Tamil: கழுதை (ta) (kaḻutai)
Taos: mùldu’úna
Tatar: ишәк (tt) (işäq)
Telugu: గాడిద (te) (gāḍida)
Thai: ลา (th) (laa)
Tibetan: བོང་བུ (bong bu)
Tigrinya: ኣድጊ (ʾadgi)
Tok Pisin: donki, esel
Turkish: eşek (tr), merkep (tr)
Turkmen: eşek
Tuvan: элчиген (älčïgän)
Udmurt: ишак (išak), осёл (osjol)
Ukrainian: осе́л m (osél), віслю́к m (visljúk), іша́к m (išák)
Urdu: گدھا‎ m (gadhā)
Uyghur: ئېشەك‎ (ëshek)
Uzbek: eshak (uz)
Venetian: muso (vec) m, àxeno 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 Frisian: ezel
Wolof: mbaam-sëf mi, mbaam-sëf
Xhosa: imbongolo
Yakut: осёл (osyol)
Yiddish: אייזל‎ m (eyzl), חמור‎ m (khamer)
Yoruba: ké̩té̩ké̩té̩
Zazaki: her
Zulu: imbongolo, udonki
Zuni: moshok'o

a stubborn person

Armenian: էշ (hy) (ēš)
Bulgarian: инат (bg) m (inat)
Dutch: ^{(please verify)} ezel (nl) m, ^{(please verify)} koppige ezel m
Finnish: aasi (fi)
German: Esel (de) m
Greek: γάιδαρος (el) m (gáidaros), μουλάρι (el) n (moulári)
Gujarati: ગધેડો (gadheḍo)
Kannada: ಕತ್ತೆ (kn) (katte)
Laz: ეშეღი (ešeɣi)

Macedonian: магаре n (magare)
Persian: کلّه خر‎ (fa) (kalle xar), کلّه سخت‎ (kalle saxt), سر سخت‎ (sar saxt)
Portuguese: jumento (pt) m, jumenta f, asno (pt) m, jegue (pt) m, burro (pt) m
Russian: осёл (ru) m (osjól)
Slovak: somár m, osol (sk) m
Spanish: burro (es)
Swahili: punda (sw)
Walloon: bådet (wa) m, moulet (wa) m, tiestou (wa) m, tiestowe f

a fool

Arabic: حِمَار‎ (ar) m (ḥimār)
Armenian: էշ (hy) (ēš)
Assamese: গাধ (gadho)
Czech: osel (cs) m
Dutch: ^{(please verify)} ezel (nl) m, ^{(please verify)} domme ezel m
Finnish: aasi (fi)
French: âne (fr) m
German: Esel (de) m
Greek: γάιδαρος (el) m (gáidaros), γαϊδούρι (el) n (gaïdoúri)
Hebrew: חֲמוֹר‎ (he) m (khamór)
Hindi: गधा (hi) m (gadhā)
Hungarian: szamár (hu), ökör (hu)
Italian: asino (it) m
Kurdish:
Sorani: که‌ر‎ (ku) (ker)

Macedonian: магаре n (magare)
Persian: هالو‎ (fa) (hâlu)
Portuguese: jumento (pt) m, jumenta f, asno (pt) m, jegue (pt) m, burro (pt) m
Russian: осёл (ru) m (osjól)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ма̀гарац m

Roman: màgarac (sh) m
Slovak: somár m, osol (sk) m
Slovene: osel (sl) m
Spanish: burro (es) m
Swahili: punda (sw)
Urdu: گدھا‎ m (gadhā)

a small auxiliary engine

Finnish: apumoottori (fi)
Italian: muletto (it) m

Spanish: locomotora pequeña f, motor auxiliar m
Swahili: punda (sw)