HACKNEY (from Fr. haquenee,

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• LAT

Lat. equus, an ambling

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• HORSE (a word common to Teutonic languages in such forms as hors, hros, ros; cf. the Ger. ross)

horse or

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• MARE

mare, especially for ladies to ride; the

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• ENGLISH

English " hack " is simply an

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• ABBREVIATION (Lat. brevis, short)

abbreviation)  , originally a riding-horse . At the present day, however, the hackney (as opposed to a thorough-bred) is bred for driving as well as riding (see HORSE: Breeds) . From the hiring-out of hackneys, the word came to be associated with employment for hire (so " a hack," as a general term for " drudge "), especially in combination, e.g. hackney-chair, hackney-coach, hackney-boat . The hackney-coach, a coach with four wheels and two horses, was a form of hired public conveyance (see CARRIAGE) .