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Where do we say that a cell became a blade of grass, which became a starfish, which became a cat, which became a donkey, which became a human being? There's a real lack of evidence from change from actual species to a different type of species.
Michele Bachmann

Meaning of "donkey" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD DONKEY

Perhaps from dun dark + -key, as in monkey.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF DONKEY

donkey  [ˈdɒŋkɪ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF DONKEY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Donkey is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES DONKEY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

donkey

Donkey

The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the horse family, Equidae. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African wild ass, E. africanus. The donkey has been used as a working animal for at least 5000 years. There are more than 40 million donkeys in the world, mostly in underdeveloped countries, where they are used principally as draught or pack animals. Working donkeys are often associated with those living at or below subsistence levels. Small numbers of donkeys are kept for breeding or as pets in developed countries. A male donkey or ass is called a jack, a female a jenny or jennet; a young donkey is a foal. Jack donkeys are often used to produce mules. Asses were first domesticated around 3000 BC, probably in Egypt or Mesopotamia, and have spread around the world. They continue to fill important roles in many places today. While domesticated species are increasing in numbers, the African wild ass and another relative, the onager, are endangered. As beasts of burden and companions, asses and donkeys have worked together with humans for millennia.

Definition of donkey in the English dictionary

The first definition of donkey in the dictionary is Also called: ass. a long-eared domesticated member of the horse family, descended from the African wild ass. Other definition of donkey is a stupid or stubborn person. Donkey is also a footballer known for his or her lack of skill.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH DONKEY


chunky
ˈtʃʌŋkɪ
conky
ˈkɒŋkɪ
funky
ˈfʌŋkɪ
Helsinki
ˈhɛlsɪŋkɪ
honkie
ˈhɒŋkɪ
honky
ˈhɒŋkɪ
hunky
ˈhʌŋkɪ
junkie
ˈdʒʌŋkɪ
junky
ˈdʒʌŋkɪ
kinky
ˈkɪŋkɪ
linky
ˈlɪŋkɪ
Maconchy
məˈkɒŋkɪ
monkey
ˈmʌŋkɪ
pinkie
ˈpɪŋkɪ
pinky
ˈpɪŋkɪ
shonky
ˈʃɒŋkɪ
stinky
ˈstɪŋkɪ
tanky
ˈtæŋkɪ
wonky
ˈwɒŋkɪ
Yankee
ˈjæŋkɪ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE DONKEY

dong
donga
dongle
Dongola
Dongting
doning
Donizetti
donjon
donkey derby
donkey engine
donkey jacket
donkey ride
donkey vote
donkey work
donkey-lick
donkey-work
donkey´s years
donko

WORDS THAT END LIKE DONKEY

bonnet monkey
brass monkey
dinkey
grease monkey
green monkey
howler monkey
leaf monkey
New World monkey
nodding donkey
Old World monkey
powder monkey
proboscis monkey
red-backed squirrel monkey
rhesus monkey
Sankey
spider monkey
squirrel monkey
talk the hind leg(s) off a donkey
turnkey
woolly spider monkey

Synonyms and antonyms of donkey in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «DONKEY»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «donkey» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of donkey
ass · jackass · mule · neddy

Translation of «donkey» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF DONKEY

Find out the translation of donkey to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of donkey from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «donkey» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

毛驴
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

burro
570 millions of speakers

English

donkey
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

गधा
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

حِمار
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

осел
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

jumento
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

গাধা
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

âne
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Keldai
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Esel
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

ロバ
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

당나귀
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Keledai
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

con lừa
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

கழுதை
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

गाढव
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

eşek
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

asino
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

osioł
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

осел
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

măgar
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

γάιδαρος
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

donkie
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

åsna
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

esel
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of donkey

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «DONKEY»

The term «donkey» is very widely used and occupies the 13.067 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
94
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «donkey» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of donkey
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «donkey».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «DONKEY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «donkey» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «donkey» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about donkey

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «DONKEY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word donkey.
1
Mohamed Al-Fayed
When we die, our souls still live. If you are a gangster or a bastard or a crook, your soul inhabits a donkey or something terrible.
2
Richard C. Armitage
A charity donkey is where you sponsor a donkey in a sanctuary and give them three pounds a month to have some donkey nuts or something.
3
Rahman Baba
There is no doubt in the sanctity of Mecca, but a donkey won't become a Hajj pilgrim by just going through the motions.
4
Michele Bachmann
Where do we say that a cell became a blade of grass, which became a starfish, which became a cat, which became a donkey, which became a human being? There's a real lack of evidence from change from actual species to a different type of species.
5
Ray Davies
When I wrote the song, I had the sea near Bombay in mind. We stayed at a hotel by the sea, and the fishermen come up at five in the morning and they were all chanting. And we went on the beach and we got chased by a mad dog - big as a donkey.
6
Clifford Geertz
The North African mule talks always of his mother's brother, the horse, but never of his father, the donkey, in favor of others supposedly more reputable.
7
Michael Gough
I'm essentially a jobbing actor. If I'm out of work, I'll be the back end of a donkey.
8
George Herbert
If a donkey bray at you, don't bray at him.
9
Erich Honecker
Neither an ox nor a donkey is able to stop the progress of socialism.
10
Alison Jackson
I had a very outdoorsy childhood. I was athletic and used to ride and do dressage. I could ride almost before I could walk. There is a picture of me at 18 months old sitting happily on the back of a donkey.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «DONKEY»

Discover the use of donkey in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to donkey and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Wonky Donkey
While walking down the road, the narrator sees a donkey that he shares more about as the story progresses.
Craig Smith, 2010
2
The Silver Donkey
This is a joyful and enchanting novel for all ages.
Sonya Hartnett, 2007
3
Donkey-Donkey
A little donkey, unhappy that his big ears stick straight up, asks other farm animals for advice on how to improve his appearance.
‎2007
4
Donkey
But in Donkey, Jill Bough champions this humble creature, proving that after 10,000 years of domestication, this incredibly hard-working animal deserves our appreciation.
Jill Bough, 2012
5
Donkey: The Mystique of Equus Asinus
Complete with history, lore, and inspirational stories, Donkey expresses the joy that these saintly creatures with big, furry ears bring to our lives.
Michael Tobias, Jane Gray Morrison, 2006
6
Get Off Your Donkey!: Help Somebody and Help Yourself
"--Tony Campolo, emeritus professor of sociology, Eastern University "Reggie's new book vacillates from very good to fabulously good. In fact, this book is so good I don't want to talk about it here. Read it, and then we'll talk.
Reggie McNeal, 2013
7
A Donkey Is Not Stupid, a Donkey Can Think
He wrote this book to show his respect for the animals. "In Upington in South Africa, there is a statue in honor of the great contribution of donkeys in the region." He has written the next book in this series.
Pieter Ernst Smith, 2011
8
The Story of a Nodding Donkey
The Nodding Donkey dated his birth from the day he received the beautiful coat of varnish in the workshop of Santa Claus at the North Pole.
Laura Lee Hope, 1stworld Library, 2006
9
Donkey gospel: poems
Winner of the 1997 James Laughlin Award of The Academy of American Poets In his second collection of poems, Hoagland's generous effervescence and a jujitsu cleverness sparkle through line after line confronting negotiation and compromise, ...
Tony Hoagland, 1998
10
Jesus Rode A Donkey: Why Republicans Don't Have the Corner ...
In this groundbreaking book, noted author and theologian Linda Seger, Th.D., explores what it means to be a Christian and a Democrat--and shows how the two are not mutually exclusive (as many Republicans claim), but rather inclusive.
Linda Seger, 2006

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «DONKEY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term donkey is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Donkey Derby to roll up in Peacehaven
The Seaford Half Marathon, together with the Donkey Derby in Peacehaven and Seaford raised between £15,000 and £20,000 a year. «Sussex Express, Jul 15»
2
Best Cheese Plates In Chicago: Table, Donkey And Stick
Cheese Plate at Table Donkey and Stick, featuring Nuvola di Pecorino, Cantal Entre-Doux, Muffato, and Piper's Pyramid. Photo by Erika Kubick. «Chicagoist, Jul 15»
3
Miss Daisy Donkey fitted with prosthesis
Miss Daisy, the lovable Independence Township donkey who is missing a hoof, was recently fitted with a prosthetic hind leg. Daisy lost her hoof ... «The Oakland Press, Jul 15»
4
In Surat, Land Cruiser Runs on Donkey Power
Surat: A team of four donkeys drawing a new uber expensive Toyota Land Cruiser 200 - that was what the people in Surat saw last week when ... «NDTV, Jul 15»
5
Thousands gather for village's 28th donkey derby
The £25,000 event, which took place on the Village Green yesterday (July 5) entertained around 4,000 people with a series of competitive donkey races as well ... «East London and West Essex Guardian Series, Jul 15»
6
Police in Seaford seek stolen donkey ornament
Police are seeking information after a large concrete ornament in the shape of a donkey was stolen from the front garden of a house in Walmer ... «Rye and Battle Today, Jul 15»
7
Farmhouse cider and perry from Wonky Donkey to Piglet's Choice
He picked out a few gems to tantalise my taste buds, and for a real-deal taste of authentic splendour, Mark Town's Swallowfield Wonky Donkey ... «Daily Mail, Jul 15»
8
Seaford police appeal over stolen donkey
Police are seeking information following the theft of a large concrete ornament in the shape of a donkey from the front garden of a house in ... «Sussex Express, Jul 15»
9
Animal control seeking owner of found donkey
It isn't every day one finds a wayfaring donkey wandering in their yard, but on June 19 on Stoney Creek Farm Drive in Kings Mountain, ... «WBTV, Jul 15»
10
Whose Dholpur palace is it, Sir? Better ask the donkey if you don't …
A donkey and two monkeys at a court in Dholpur. (Pictures by Prem Singh). "Nobody who gives you anything against the palace can continue ... «ABP Live, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Donkey [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/donkey>. Apr 2024 ».
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