crony

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Coined between 1655 and 1665 from Ancient Greek χρόνιος (khrónios, “perennial, long-lasting”) (English chrono- (“time”),[1] initially as 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 slang) Close friend.
    • Washington Irving
      He soon found his former cronies, though all rather the worse for the wear and tear of time.
  2. (informal) Trusted companion or partner in a criminal organization.
Alternative forms
  • chrony
Synonyms
  • See also Thesaurus:friend
Derived terms
Translations
See also
References
  1. ↑ “crony” in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
  2. ↑ "Crony" at Dictionary.com
  3. ↑ AskOxford: crony
  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. 1 2 “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.
    • Burton
      Marry not an old crony.

Anagrams

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