crony

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English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Coined between 1655 and 1665 from Ancient Greek χρόνιος (khrónios, “perennial, long-lasting”);[1] see also chrono- (“time”). Initially Cambridge University slang,[2][3][4][5] in sense of “chum”, as “friend of long standing”,[6] with illegal connotation later.[7]

Early spellings included chrony, as in 1665 diary by Samuel Pepys,[6] supporting the Greek origin.

Noun

crony (plural cronies)

  1. (informal, originally Cambridge University) A close friend.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:friend
    Antonym: noncrony
    • 1819 June 23, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Rip Van Winkle”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number I, New York, N.Y.: C S. Van Winkle, , →OCLC, page 91:
      Rip now resumed his old walks and habits; he soon found many of his former cronies, though all rather the worse for the wear and tear of time; and preferred making friends among the rising generation, with whom he soon grew into great favour.
  2. (informal) A trusted companion or partner in a criminal organization.
Alternative forms
Derived terms
Translations
References
  1. ^ “crony”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  2. ^ "Crony" at Dictionary.com
  3. ^ “AskOxford: crony”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎, 2008 October 3 (last accessed), archived from the original on 13 March 2020
  4. ^ Richard Reeves, NS Essay – “Friendship is the invisible thread running through society.” April 19, 2004
  5. ^ “Cronyism: The New Sleaze.” BBC News. December 23, 1998
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 “The I’s Have It”, William Safire, The New York Times. October 30, 2005
  7. ^ “That Single Word.” Juan L. Mercado, The Ilocos Times, September 24, 2006

Etymology 2

Noun

crony (plural cronies)

  1. (obsolete) An old woman; a crone.

Anagrams

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