jockey

the word 'jockey' entered english in the 16th century as a scots diminutive for 'jock', a colloquial form of the name 'john' or 'jack', which was commonly used as a generic term for a man, especially a young man or a servant. by the late 17th century, it became specifically applied to a person who rides horses professionally in races, likely because such riders were often young men. the verb sense, meaning to maneuver for advantage, developed in the 19th century by analogy with the strategic positioning and effort of a horse rider during a race.

the word 'jockey' is a simplex form. it is a loanword, originally a scots diminutive of the name 'jock', itself a variant of 'jack'. its functional role is as a complete lexical unit.