Cornish

American  

[kawr-nish] / ˈkɔr nɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Cornwall, England, its inhabitants, or the Cornish language.

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noun

1. the Celtic language of Cornwall, extinct since c1800.

2. one of an English breed of chickens raised chiefly for crossing with other breeds to produce roasters.

Cornish British  

/ ˈkɔːnɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Cornwall, its inhabitants, their former language, or their present-day dialect of English

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noun

1. a former language of Cornwall, belonging to the S Celtic branch of the Indo-European family and closely related to Breton: extinct by 1800

2. (functioning as plural) the natives or inhabitants of Cornwall

Etymology

Origin of Cornish

1350–1400; late Middle English, apparently syncopated variant of Middle English Cornwelisse. See Cornwall, -ish ¹

Example Sentences

At the same stage of his career, Joshua beat Gary Cornish to register a 14th stoppage and was selling out the O2 Arena.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

Councillor Loveday Jenkin welcomed the idea of bilingual signage in supermarkets in the area, but said it should be in "Cornish not Welsh".

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

The Cornish people are a recognised national minority under the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, meaning they share the same status as the Welsh, Irish and Scots within the UK.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

In the 2021 census, more than 100,000 people expressed their main national identity, ethnicity or main language as Cornish.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

“Roger that,” mumbled Rio, his mouth full of Cornish beef pasty.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti