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) Close friend.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:friend
    Antonym: noncrony
    • 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
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. “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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