Dictionary

workie en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈwɜːki/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈwɜɹki/ (General-American)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From work (noun) + -ie (suffix forming colloquial nouns denoting persons associated with the words to which they are affixed). Sense 1 (“intern”) alludes to work experience.

Meanings

1. (informal, slang) An intern.
   • Other interns are another good source of advice and support. Melody Small, a 20-year-old student from Canterbury who did a two-week editorial placement at Grazia, said: 'Make friends with other workies […] 2014, Julie Bradford, Fashion Journalism, page 22:
2. (Scotland, informal) A worker, especially a manual labourer.
3. (US, historical, informal) Chiefly in the form Workie: a member or supporter of a Working Men's (or Workingmen's) Party, one of a number of political parties established in the United States in the early 19th century to further working class interests.

Forms