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Cranny

//ˈkɹæni// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A small, narrow opening, fissure, crevice, or chink, as in a wall, or other substance.

    "Down thro the Cranies of the living Walls / The Crystal Streams descend in murm'ring Falls"

  2. 2
    A clerk writing English. India, obsolete
  3. 3
    a small opening or crevice (especially in a rock face or wall) wordnet
  4. 4
    A tool for forming the necks of bottles, etc.
  5. 5
    A member of the East Indians, or mixed-race people, from among whom English copyists were chiefly recruited. India, obsolete
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  1. 6
    a long narrow depression in a surface wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To break into, or become full of, crannies. intransitive

    "The ground did cranie everie where and light did pierce to hell."

  2. 2
    To haunt or enter by crannies. intransitive

    "All tenantless, save to the crannying wind."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English crany, crani (“cranny”), apparently a diminutive of *cran (+ -y), from Old French cran, cren (“notch, fissure”), a derivative of crener (“to notch, split”), from Medieval Latin crenō (“split”, verb), from Vulgar Latin *crinō (“split, break”, verb), of obscure origin. Despite a spurious use in Pliny, connection to Latin crēna is doubtful. Instead, probably of Germanic or Celtic origin. Compare Old High German chrinna (“notch, groove, crevice”), Alemannic German Krinne (“small crack, channel, groove”), Low German karn (“notch, groove, crevice, cranny”), Old Irish ara-chrinin (“to perish, decay”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English crany, crani (“cranny”), apparently a diminutive of *cran (+ -y), from Old French cran, cren (“notch, fissure”), a derivative of crener (“to notch, split”), from Medieval Latin crenō (“split”, verb), from Vulgar Latin *crinō (“split, break”, verb), of obscure origin. Despite a spurious use in Pliny, connection to Latin crēna is doubtful. Instead, probably of Germanic or Celtic origin. Compare Old High German chrinna (“notch, groove, crevice”), Alemannic German Krinne (“small crack, channel, groove”), Low German karn (“notch, groove, crevice, cranny”), Old Irish ara-chrinin (“to perish, decay”).

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Hindustani किरानी (kirānī) / کِرانِی (kirānī).

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