crony
UK /ˈkɹəʊni/ · US /ˈkɹoʊni/ noun
Forms cronies chrony
- noun (informal, originally Cambridge University) A close friend.
- noun (informal) A trusted companion or partner in a criminal organization.
- noun (obsolete) An old woman; a crone.
Synonyms
babber billy bredrin bruv bud buddo buddy butty chaver china chuck chum cock cocker cobber compadre comrade companion cove dawg brother pal sidekick
Antonyms
Etymology
Coined between 1655 and 1665 from Ancient Greek χρόνιος (khrónios, “perennial, long-lasting”); see also chrono- (“time”). Initially 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.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A crone. [Obs.] "Marry not an old crony." Burton.
- noun An intimate companion; a familiar frend. [Colloq.]
Etymology [Orig., an old woman. See Crone.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “crony”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details