hackney

[ hak-nee ]
/ ˈhæk ni /

noun, plural hack·neys.

adjective

let out, employed, or done for hire.

verb (used with object)

to make trite, common, or stale by frequent use.
to use as a hackney.

Origin of hackney

1300–50; Middle English hakeney, special use of placename Hackney, Middlesex, England

OTHER WORDS FROM hackney

hack·ney·ism, noun

Definition for hackney (2 of 2)

Hackney
[ hak-nee ]
/ ˈhæk ni /

noun

a borough of Greater London, England.

Example sentences from the Web for hackney

British Dictionary definitions for hackney (1 of 2)

hackney
/ (ˈhæknɪ) /

noun

a compact breed of harness horse with a high-stepping trot
  1. a coach or carriage that is for hire
  2. (as modifier)a hackney carriage
a popular term for hack 2 (def. 1)

verb

(tr; usually passive) to make commonplace and banal by too frequent use

Derived forms of hackney

hackneyism, noun

Word Origin for hackney

C14: probably after Hackney, where horses were formerly raised; sense 4 meaning derives from the allusion to a weakened hired horse

British Dictionary definitions for hackney (2 of 2)

Hackney
/ (ˈhæknɪ) /

noun

a borough of NE Greater London: formed in 1965 from the former boroughs of Shoreditch, Stoke Newington, and Hackney; nearby are Hackney Marshes, the largest recreation ground in London. Pop: 208 400 (2003 est). Area: 19 sq km (8 sq miles)