Dictionary

cockney

noun cock·ney \ˈkäk-nē\

: a person from the East End of London

: the way of speaking that is typical of cockneys

plural cockneys

Full Definition of COCKNEY

obsolete

a : a spoiled child

b : a squeamish woman

often capitalized

a : a native of London and especially of the East End of London

b : the dialect of London or of the East End of London

— cockney adjective

— cock·ney·fy \ˈkäk-ni-ˌfī\ transitive verb

— cock·ney·ish \-nē-ish\ adjective

— cock·ney·ism \-ˌi-zəm\ noun

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Middle English cokeney, literally, cocks' egg, from coken (genitive plural of cok cock) + ey egg, from Old English ǣg

First Known Use: 14th century

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