donkey

donkey — noun

1. a grey or brown animal with long ears and a short mane, belonging to the horse f

1.nounA2
Definition

a grey or brown animal with long ears and a short mane, belonging to the horse family. Donkeys are often kept on farms for carrying or pulling things, and sometimes as pets.

Example

The farmer put the heavy bags on the donkey before walking up the hill.

load + onto + donkey (carrying loads)

Ryo's younger sister had never seen a donkey before and laughed at its long ears.

Common collocations
  • ride a donkey
  • lead a donkey
  • stubborn as a donkey
  • donkey ride
  • donkey cart
Synonyms
  • ass

    more formal or technical term for the same animal

  • burro

    used in American English for a small donkey, especially in the Southwest

Usage Note

Donkey is the common everyday term. The word 'ass' is more formal or technical and refers to the same animal. 'Burro' is used in American English for small donkeys in the Southwestern US.

Common Mistakes

Donkeys are stupid animals.
Donkeys are careful and intelligent animals.
Donkeys are unfairly seen as stupid; they are actually cautious by nature, which some people mistake for stubbornness.
I rode a donkey to school.
I rode to school on a donkey.
When specifying the means of transport, use 'on' before the animal.
Idioms

donkey's years

idiom

a very long period of time, used to emphasise that something happened far in the past or has lasted a very long time.

I have not seen Soraya for donkey's years — not since we finished primary school.

That old clock has been sitting on the shelf for donkey's years, covered in dust.

talk the hind legs off a donkey

idiom

to talk a lot, especially about things that are not very interesting or important.

Joaquín's neighbour can talk the hind legs off a donkey — she spent the whole afternoon describing her holiday.

Once Faisal starts talking about old films, he could talk the hind legs off a donkey.

donkey’s (years)

idiom

A very long period of time.

Maya and I have been friends for donkey's years.

That old building stood there for donkey's years before it was torn down.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Donkey, ass, and burro all refer to the same animal but differ in register and region. 'Donkey' is the everyday word used in any situation. 'Ass' is more formal or technical; it is the standard zoological term (Equus asinus) and appears in formal writing and older texts. 'Burro' is used in American English for small donkeys in the Southwestern US, borrowed from Spanish. 'Mule' is a different animal — the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse — though people sometimes confuse them. For example: 'The farmer loaded his donkey with hay' (natural everyday speech); 'The ass has been used as a working animal for thousands of years' (formal register); 'We spotted wild burros in the Arizona desert' (US regional); 'The mule is stronger than a horse but more patient than a donkey' (different animal).

donkey ↗ass ↗burromule ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • donkey cart
  • donkey ride
  • donkey trail
  • donkey shelter

Phrases

  • stubborn as a donkey
  • work like a donkey

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishModern English

The word 'donkey' first appeared in English in the late 1700s. Its exact origin is uncertain, but it may come from 'dun' (a greyish-brown colour, describing the animal's coat) combined with '-key' (a small or familiar suffix, similar to 'monkey'). Before this word existed, the animal was simply called 'ass', from Old English 'assa', which came from Latin 'asinus'. 'Donkey' gradually replaced 'ass' in everyday speech, partly because 'ass' had also become a rude slang word for a person.