Etymology

hackney

hack·ney
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Today it means: A horse suitable for riding; specifically, a strong medium-sized horse with a high-stepping trot, often used in harness competitions; also, such horses collectively as a breed. Full definition →

Middle English hakeney ← Old English *Hacan īeġ
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hackney · noun, adjective, verb1

  1. Old English · inherited from*Hacan īeġ“Haca’s Island”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromhakeney“small horse, often hired out”
  3. English todayhackney

The noun is derived from Middle English hakeney (“small horse, often hired out”), probably from Hakeneia, Hakeneye (“Hackney, formerly a village in Middlesex and now a borough of London, England, in the United Kingdom”) (as the surrounding meadows were used for grazing horses before sale; whence Old French haquenée (“ambling mare for ladies”), Latinized in England to hakeneius), from Old English *Hacan īeġ (“Haca’s Island”, literally “Hook’s Island”). The adjective and verb are derived from the noun.

Hackney · proper noun2

  1. Old English · derived from*Hacan īeġ
  2. English todayHackney

The senses "a horse" and "(a means of transport) available for hire" derive from the fact that many horses were kept for hire in the London borough of Hackney. The place name is from Old English *Hacan īeġ "Hacan's Isle" (or "Hook's Island"), referring to dry land in a marsh.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.