lackey

Meanings

Noun

• A footman, a liveried male servant.
• A fawning, servile follower.

Verb

• To attend, wait upon, serve obsequiously.
• To toady, play the flunky.

Origin

• Borrowed from Middle French laquais, which is probably (via Old Occitan lacai?) from Spanish lacayo, itself perhaps from Italian lacchè and Greek λακές, from Turkish ulak. Another possibility is through French, from Catalan alacay, from Arabic قَاضٍ. See French laquais.