donkey Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the symbol of the Democratic Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874
  2. noun domestic beast of burden descended from the African wild ass; patient but stubborn
    Equus asinus; domestic ass.

WordNet

Don"key noun
Etymology
Prob. dun, in allusion to the color of the animal + a dim. termination.
Wordforms
plural Donkeys
Definitions
  1. An ass; or (less frequently) a mule.
  2. A stupid or obstinate fellow; an ass.

Webster 1913