Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1700-1800
Origin: Perhaps from flanker 'someone who stands beside you' (18-19 centuries), from FLANK1

flunkey

 noun
     
flun‧key , flunky [countable] informal
someone who does small jobs for an important person, especially someone who does this because they are trying to please the person - used to show disapproval:
One of his flunkeys let me in.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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