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dunny

adj
/ˈdʌni/

Etymology

A clipped form of English cant dunnakin (“outhouse”) + -y (suffix forming affectionate diminutives). Dunnakin, dunnekin, etc. are of uncertain etymology, but probably from some form of English cant danna (“dung”) + ken (“house”, pejorative slang). The Scottish and North English senses may derive from Etymology 4 below, either under influence from English cant or as its original source.

  1. derived from *dʰews-✻
  2. derived from *dusnos✻
  3. inherited from *dʰewh₂-✻ — “to smoke, raise dust”
  4. inherited from *dusnaz✻
  5. inherited from *duʀn✻
  6. inherited from dunn — “dun, dingy brown, bark-colored, brownish black”
  7. inherited from dun
  8. formed as dunny — “dun + -y”

Definitions

  1. Somewhat dun, dusky brownish.

    • I were skynnes of conny, / That causeth I loke so donny.

  2. Somewhat deaf, hard of hearing.

    • Dunny, somewhat deaf, deafish.

  3. Slow to answer

    Slow to answer: stupid, unintelligent.

    • What the devil are you dunny? won't you give me no answer?
  4. ›+ 6 more definitions

    1. A dummy, an unintelligent person.

      • Should a School-boy do so, he'd be whip'd for a Dunny.

    2. Alternative form of danna

      Alternative form of danna: shit.

    3. An outhouse

      An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.

      • "I've got one of those outside dunnies here, hasn't been emptied for six months and I ran out of sawdust three months ago."
      • There was one leaning dunny down the back and, if you stayed very quiet, on a very still day you could hear the white ants as they chewed the wood.The bottom boards were already eaten through, and I avoided using the dunny at all costs.
      • ‘Until you wake up to yourself, you can live in the old dunny for all I care.’ ‘All right, I will,’ said Tony.

    4. Any other place or fixture used for urination and defecation

      Any other place or fixture used for urination and defecation: a latrine; a lavatory; a toilet.

      • The dunny was another place to go to get out of class. You got to go there by raising your hand in class and asking Miss if you could go to the lav.

    5. A passageway, particularly those connecting an outhouse to the main building.

    6. A cellar, basement, or underground passage.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for dunny. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA