trusty

Etymology

From Middle English trusty, tristy, tresty, equivalent to trust + -y.

adj

1. Reliable or trustworthy.
   She's been using the same trusty sewing machine since she started out, thirty long years ago.

noun

1. A trusted person, especially a prisoner who has been granted special privileges.
   We usta have a rule that if a trusty shot an escaping convict, then the trusty would go free. 1941, James Howell Street, In my father's house
   The cell block is clean and doesn't smell of disinfectant. The trusties do all the work. The supply of trusties is always ample. 1953, Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye, Penguin, published 2010, page 58