Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - hackney

 geographical name borough of N Greater London, England population 164,200 HACKNEY  I. noun  (plural ~s)  Etymology: Middle English hakeney  Date: 14th century  1.  a. a horse suitable for ordinary riding or driving  b. a trotting horse used chiefly for driving  c. often capitalized any of an English breed of rather compact usually chestnut, bay, or brown high-stepping horses  2. obsolete one that works for hire  3. a carriage or automobile kept for hire  II. adjective  Date: 1589  1. kept for public hire  2. ~ed  3. archaic done or suitable for doing by a drudge  III. transitive verb  (~ed; ~ing)  Date: 1596  1.  a. to make common or frequent use of  b. to make trite, vulgar, or commonplace  2. archaic to make sophisticated or jaded