hackney

¹

[ hak-nee ]

noun

, plural hack·neys.

1. Also called hackney coach. a carriage or coach for hire; cab.
2. a trotting horse used for drawing a light carriage or the like.
3. a horse used for ordinary riding or driving.
4. (initial capital letter) one of an English breed of horses having a high-stepping gait.

adjective

1. let out, employed, or done for hire.

verb (used with object)

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

Hackney

²

[ hak-nee ]

noun

1. a borough of Greater London, England.

Hackney

¹

/ ˈhæknɪ /

noun

1. 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)

hackney

²

/ ˈhæknɪ /

noun

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

      a hackney carriage

3. a popular term for hack 2

verb

1. tr; usually passive to make commonplace and banal by too frequent use

Derived Forms

• ˈhackneyism, noun

Other Words From

• hackney·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hackney¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hackney¹

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

Example Sentences

Black hackney cabs are meant to be the only cars you can hail on the street, but the app technology and smartphones changed that and meant people started "e-hailing" minicabs.

From BBC

Someone showing a miniature pinscher wants to showcase the high-stepping hackney gait that is a hallmark of the breed.

From Seattle Times

“Oh! but their removing from the chaise into a hackney coach is such a presumption! And, besides, no traces of them were to be found on the Barnet road.”

From Literature

Council chiefs in all 10 boroughs have signed up to minimum standards for private hire and hackney carriage drivers in the licensing process.

From BBC

She moved to Paris just in time to witness King Louis XVI “in a hackney coach going to meet his death,” she wrote.

From New York Times

Related Words

• carriage
• taxi
• taxicab