(also flunky ) / ˈflʌŋki; NAmE / noun ( pl. -eys or -ies )
1.
( disapproving ) a person who tries to please sb who is important and powerful by doing small jobs for them
2.
( old-fashioned ) a servant in uniform
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 18th cent. (originally Scots ): perhaps from flank in the sense a person who stands at one's flank .