Plural of donkey; small, sturdy animals related to horses, known for being stubborn and used as pack animals.
The origin is debated, but 'donkey' likely comes from the color 'dun' (brownish) plus a diminutive suffix, or possibly from the braying sound. The term replaced 'ass' in polite conversation around the 1700s.
Donkeys aren't actually stubborn—they're intelligent and cautious! They refuse to do dangerous things, which humans misinterpreted as stubbornness, but they're basically the safety inspectors of the animal world.
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