Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cranny” come from?

Cranny comes from English crank plus the English suffix -y, which derives from Middle French -ie, itself from Latin -ia and -ivus, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European -kos.

cranny (English): A small, narrow opening, fissure, crevice, or...

Definitions

  1. A small, narrow opening, fissure, crevice, or...

Ancestry of “cranny”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcrany—
2Middle Englishcran—
3Old Frenchcran—
4Medieval Latincraniumskull
5Ancient Greekκρανίονskull; head
6Ancient Greekκάραhead, face; the head or top of anything, as of a...
7Proto-Hellenic*kárahə—

Words derived from “cranny”

  • crannied
Every word from Proto-Hellenic *kárahə →