different between crony vs corny

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?k?o?ni/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k???ni/
• Rhymes: -??ni

Etymology 1

Coined between 1655 and 1665 from Ancient Greek ??????? (khrónios, “perennial, long-lasting”) (English chrono- (“time”), initially as Cambridge University slang, in sense of “chum”, as “friend of long standing”, with illegal connotation later.

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

Noun

crony (plural cronies)

1. (informal, originally Cambridge University) A close friend.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:friend

   Antonym: noncrony
2. (informal) A trusted companion or partner in a criminal organization.

Alternative forms

• chrony (obsolete)

Derived terms

• cronyism
• cronynomics
• crony capitalism
• noncrony

Translations

References

Etymology 2

Noun

crony (plural cronies)

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

   • Marry not an old crony.

Anagrams

• Conry, corny, croyn, cry on

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k??ni/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?k??ni/
• Rhymes: -??(?)ni

Etymology 1

From Middle English corny, equivalent to corn +? -y. In the "hackneyed" sense, from "corn catalogue jokes", reputedly low-quality jokes that were formerly printed in mail-order seed catalogues.

Adjective

corny (comparative cornier, superlative corniest)

1. Boring and unoriginal.

2. Hackneyed or excessively sentimental.

3. (obsolete) Producing corn or grain; furnished with grains of corn.
   • 1718, Matthew Prior, Solomon on the Vanity of the World

     The corny ear.

4. Containing corn; tasting well of malt.

   • A draughte of moyste and corny ale.

5. (obsolete, Britain, slang) tipsy; drunk

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Forby to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (hackneyed or excessively sentimental): kitsch, kitschy, cheesy, tacky, campy, schlocky, schmaltzy
• (drunk): drunkish, squiffy; see Thesaurus:drunk

Translations

Etymology 2

Latin cornu (“horn”).

Adjective

corny (comparative more corny, superlative most corny)

1. (obsolete) Strong, stiff, or hard, like a horn; resembling horn.

Anagrams

• Conry, crony, croyn, cry on

Middle English

Etymology

From corn +? -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?rni?/, /?k??rni?/

Adjective

corny

1. (rare) fleshy, swollen
2. (rare) malty; tasting of malt.
3. (rare) Resembling a grain.

Descendants

• English: corny
• Scots: cornie (obsolete, rare)
• >? Yola: cornee

References

• “c??rn?, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-08.