Moke
/moʊk/noun
A donkey; also, in some dialects, a foolish or clumsy person.
Did you know?In English dialect use, *moke* developed as a colloquial word for a donkey, and later for a foolish person, showing how animal names often become human insults.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
English
moke
“A colloquial word for a donkey; later, a slow or foolish person.”
19th Century
English
moke
“Used in slang and dialect speech in Britain and later elsewhere as a rough term for a donkey or simpleton.”
Origin uncertain
English
moke
“Probably a regional or slang formation with no securely established earlier root.”
Modern English
English
moke
“A donkey; by extension, an inept or foolish person.”