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cranny

 - 4 dictionary results

cran⋅ny

  [kran-ee]
Use cranny in a Sentence
–noun, plural -nies.
1. a small, narrow opening in a wall, rock, etc.; chink; crevice; fissure: They searched every nook and cranny for the missing ring.
2. a small out-of-the-way place or obscure corner; nook.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME crany, perh. < MF crené, ptp. of crener to notch, groove; see crenel
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cranny
cran·ny   (krān'ē)   
n.   pl. cran·nies
A small opening, as in a wall or rock face; a crevice.

[Middle English crani, perhaps alteration of Old French cren, cran, notch, from *crener, to notch.]
cran'nied adj.
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

cranny 
c.1440, supposedly from M.Fr. cran "notch, fissure," from crener "to notch, split," from M.L. crenare, prob. from L. cernere "to separate, sift" (see crisis). But OED casts doubt on this derivation.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

cranny

see nook and cranny.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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