cranny

[kran-ee]

noun

plural

crannies 

1. a small, narrow opening in a wall, rock, etc.; chink; crevice; fissure.

   They searched every nook and cranny for the missing ring.

2. a small out-of-the-way place or obscure corner; nook.

cranny

/ ˈkrænɪ /

noun

1. a narrow opening, as in a wall or rock face; chink; crevice (esp in the phrase every nook and cranny )

Other Word Forms

• crannied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cranny¹

1400–50; late Middle English crany, perhaps < Middle French crené, past participle of crener to notch, groove; crenel

Word History and Origins

Origin of cranny¹

C15: from Old French cran notch, fissure; compare _crenel

Idioms and Phrases

see nook and cranny.

Example Sentences

Inside, dainty horse figurines painted in pastels peek out from nooks and crannies.

From Los Angeles Times

That allows it to be littered with props, such as the throne-like chair near its entrance, and for nooks and crannies such as a “film vault” to be renamed a “kill vault.”

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, drivers here look to beat the system, waiting in nooks and crannies along Eastfield Road for a message that their passengers have arrived.

From BBC

The tactility of the book encourages you to explore every nook and cranny of the house, which does already feel like a museum of sorts.

From Los Angeles Times

All the nooks and crannies of the human body become home to a world of microbial life, known as the microbiome.

From BBC