English Explanatory Dictionary

canny

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Careful, prudent, cautious.
  2. Knowing, shrewd, astute.
  3. Frugal, thrifty.
  4. Friendly, pleasant, fair, agreeable; (sometimes) funny.
  5. Gentle, quiet, steady.
adv
  1. Very, considerably; quite, rather.
  2. Gently, quietly; carefully, skilfully.
adj
  1. Natural, normal.
adj
  1. Sounding as if it is coming through a tin can.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/ˈkæni/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-canny.wav

Word forms

canny cannier canniest Cannys

Etymology

Northern English dialect, from can (“to know”) ( + -y), from Middle English can, first and third person singular of cunnen, connen (“to be able, know how to”), from Old English cunnan (“to know how to, be able to”). Compare Scots canny, English cunny, Old English cann (“knowledge, assertion”). More at can, cunning.

Synonyms

abstemious canny chary moderate cheap close with a buck economic economical frugal husbandly huswifely parsimonious penny-pinching prudent spareful sparing spary thrifty tight tightwad

Derived words

cannily canniness ca' canny Canny edge detection Canny edge detector

Translations

Bulgarian: внимателен Bulgarian: предпазлив Czech: opatrný Finnish: varovainen French: prudent German: vorsichtig Māori: matawhāiti Romanian: prudent Russian: осмотрительный Russian: осторо́жный Spanish: cauteloso Swedish: försiktig
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