Etymology Lesson of the Day: Crony

Right Side Redux ^ | 10/5/05 | Justin @ RSR

[RightSideRedux]

The word Crony means "friend" and comes from the Greek word: "chronios", meaning "long-lasting." That could describe several things in this Maelstrom:

read more

[Spok]

Republicans give their cronies jobs,
Democrats give them pardons.

[thoughtomator]

Democrats give their cronies taxpayers' hard-earned cash.

[proxy_user]

This etymology is questionable. The word is 17th-century school slang. Academics would almost certainly have preserved the 'h' of khronos.

[Blzbba]

"Republicans give their cronies jobs, "

regardless of their lack of qualifications...


"Democrats give them pardons."

regardless of their crimes...

[syriacus]

http://laudatortemporisacti.blogspot.com/2005_10_01_laudatortemporisacti_archive.html

But the spelling of the OED's first citation (from Pepys' Diary, May 30, 1665) tends to support the Greek origin:

Jack Cole, my old school-fellow..who was a great chrony of mine.

[proxy_user]

Pepys was a bit of a pedant who was interested in languages. He might have spelled it this way because he believed it was derived from Greek 'chronos'. Like many of his fellow amateur linguists in the 17th century, he could have been wrong.

[syriacus]

  Pepys was a bit of a pedant who was interested in languages. He might have spelled it this way because he believed it was derived from Greek 'chronos'. Like many of his fellow amateur linguists in the 17th century, he could have been wrong.

Good point.