Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cronyism” come from?

Cronyism derives from crony, which comes from Ancient Greek χρόνιος, from χρόνος meaning time, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -yós.

cronyism (English): Favoritism to friends without regard for their...

Definitions

  1. Favoritism to friends without regard for their...

Ancestry of “cronyism”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcronyClose friend; Trusted companion or partner in a...
2Ancient Greekχρόνιοςafter a long time, late; for a long time, a long...
3Ancient Greek-ῐοςbelonging to; of”, “belonging to”, “pertaining to
4Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →