donkey

noun, plural don·keys.

1. the domestic ass, Equus asinus.
2. (since 1874) a representation of this animal as the emblem of the U.S. Democratic Party.
3. a stupid, silly, or obstinate person.
4. a woodworking apparatus consisting of a clamping frame and saw, used for cutting marquetry veneers.

adjective

5. Machinery. auxiliary: donkey engine; donkey pump; donkey boiler.

noun

1. Also called: ass a long-eared domesticated member of the horse family (Equidae), descended from the African wild ass (Equus asinus)
2. a stupid or stubborn person
3. British slang, derogatory a footballer known for his or her lack of skillthe players are a bunch of overpriced and overrated donkeys
4. talk the hind leg(s) off a donkey to talk endlessly

n.

1785, originally slang, perhaps a diminutive from dun “dull gray-brown,” the form perhaps influenced by monkey. Or possibly from a familiar form of Duncan (cf. dobbin). The older English word was ass (n.1).

A symbol (see also symbol) of the Democratic party, introduced in a series of political cartoons by Thomas Nast during the congressional elections of 1874. (Compare elephant.)