Etymologically
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canny

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkæni/[1]

Etymology

It was formed in Scottish and northern English from can in its older sense “to know, know how”[2][3][4][5] and the suffix -y.[2][3][6] Etymonline calls it a doublet of cunning.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Knowing, wise, prudent (1637).[7][2][3] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1596.[5]

Semantic evolution

In Scots the word took many senses: skilful, lucky, safe to deal with, quiet and gentle.[3][7] From the 18th century it meant careful and frugal,[3][7] and from the early 19th, perhaps through Walter Scott's novels, cautious and shrewd.[3][7] English writers often used it with a sneer for the supposed worldly caution of the Scots.[7][3] Wiktionary notes that canny and uncanny are no longer opposites in modern use.[1]

Timeline

  • 1637 – knowing, prudent.[7][2]
  • 1718 – safe to meddle with, chiefly with a negative.[7]
  • 1725 – careful, frugal.[7]
  • 1785 – quiet and gentle in action.[7]
  • 1816 – shrewd in worldly matters.[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Careful and shrewd, especially in looking after one's own interests.
  2. Careful with money; frugal.
  3. (chiefly Scottish) Steady, gentle and restrained.
  4. (chiefly Scottish) Snug and quiet.

Word family

  • cannily
  • canniness
  • ca' canny
  • uncanny
  • cunning
  • ken

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press