Editing Donkey (section)

== Nomenclature ==
Traditionally, the scientific name for the donkey is ''Equus asinus asinus'', on the basis of the [[Priority (nomenclature)|principle of priority]] used for scientific names of animals. However, the [[International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature]] ruled in 2003 that if the domestic and the wild species are considered subspecies of a common species, the scientific name of the wild species has priority, even when that subspecies was described after the domestic subspecies.<ref name=Opinion2007/> This means that the proper scientific name for the donkey is ''Equus africanus asinus'' when it is considered a subspecies and ''Equus asinus'' when it is considered a species.<ref name=wilson/><ref name=Opinion2007/>

At one time, the [[synonym]] ''ass'' was the more common term for the donkey. The first recorded use of ''donkey'' was in either 1784<ref name=fairman/> or 1785.{{r|OED|grose|diaz|page3=239}} While the word ''ass'' has [[cognate]]s in most other [[Indo-European languages]], ''donkey'' is an [[etymology|etymologically]] obscure word for which no credible cognate has been identified. Hypotheses on its derivation include the following:

* perhaps from Spanish for its [[Don (honorific)|don]]-like gravity; the donkey was also known as "the King of Spain's trumpeter".<ref name=grose/>
* perhaps a diminutive of ''[[Dun gene|dun]]'' (dull grayish-brown), a typical donkey colour.<ref name=OED/><ref name=webster/>
* perhaps from the name ''Duncan''.<ref name=OED/><ref name="AHD4donkey"/>
* perhaps of imitative origin.<ref name="AHD4donkey" />

From the 18th century, ''donkey'' gradually replaced ''ass'' and ''jenny'' replaced ''she-ass'', which is now considered archaic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eselin |website=German-English Dictionary |url=http://www.dict.cc/german-english/Eselin.html |access-date=2015-08-25 |archive-date=2015-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923223249/http://www.dict.cc/german-english/Eselin.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The change may have come about through a tendency to avoid pejorative terms in speech and may be comparable to the substitution in North American English of ''[[rooster]]'' for ''cock'', or that of ''[[rabbit]]'' for ''coney'', which was formerly [[Homophone|homophonic]] with ''cunny'' (a variation of the word [[Vagina#Perceptions, symbolism and vulgarity|cunt]]). By the end of the 17th century, changes in pronunciation of both ''ass'' and ''[[Buttocks|arse]]'' had caused them to become homophones in some varieties of English.{{r|diaz|page=239}} Other words used for the ass in English from this time include ''cuddy'' in Scotland, ''neddy'' in southwestern England and ''dicky'' in southeastern England;{{r|diaz|page=239}} [[Moke (slang)|''moke'']] is documented in the 19th century and may be of Welsh or Romani origin.

''Burro'' is a word for donkey in both Spanish and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]. In the United States, it is commonly applied to the [[Feral organism|feral]] donkeys that live west of the [[Rocky Mountains]];<ref name="blm" /> it may also refer to any small donkey.{{r|webster2|p=147}}