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COCKNEY

 - 3 dictionary results

cock⋅ney

  [kok-nee] noun, plural -neys, adjective
Use COCKNEY in a Sentence
–noun
1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a native or inhabitant of the East End district of London, England, traditionally, one born and reared within the sound of Bow bells.
2. (sometimes initial capital letter) the pronunciation or dialect of cockneys.
3. Obsolete.
a. a pampered child.
b. a squeamish, affected, or effeminate person.
–adjective
4. (sometimes initial capital letter) of or pertaining to cockneys or their dialect.
Origin:
1325–75; ME cokeney foolish person, lit., cock's egg (i.e., malformed egg), equiv. to coken, gen. pl. of cok cock 1 + ey, OE æg; c. G Ei, ON egg egg

Related forms:
cock⋅ney⋅ish, adjective
cock⋅ney⋅ish⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To COCKNEY
cock·ney or Cock·ney   (kŏk'nē)   
n.   pl. cock·neys or Cock·neys

  1. A native of the East End of London.

  2. The dialect or accent of the natives of the East End of London.

adj.  Of or relating to cockneys or their dialect.

[Middle English cokenei, cock's egg, pampered child, city dweller : coken, cock (possibly blend of cok; see cock1, and chiken, chicken; see chicken) + ei, egg (from Old English ǣg; see awi- in Indo-European roots).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cockney 
1600, from M.E. cokenei "spoiled child, milksop," orig. cokene-ey "cock's egg" (1362). Most likely disentangling of the etymology is to start from O.E. cocena "cock's egg" -- gen. pl. of coc "cock" + æg "egg" -- medieval term for "runt of a clutch," extended derisively c.1521 to "town dweller," gradually narrowing thereafter to residents of a particular neighborhood in the East End of London. The accent so called from 1890, but speech peculiarities were noted from 17c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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