US /ˈɡʌni/ UK /ˈɡʌni/
noun Freq #19539

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a coarse, strong fabric made from jute or hemp, especially for sacks

    The merchant packed the coffee beans in rough gunny bags for shipment.

  2. 2
    noun

    US military slang: a gunnery sergeant

    The gunny inspected the platoon before the morning drill.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a coarse, strong fabric... burlaphessiansacking
2 noun · us military slang: a... gunnery sergeant
Word family
Derived forms gunnybaggunnycloth
Related forms jutehempgunny sack

Etymology

The fabric name comes through Hindi and Marathi from a South Asian word for a coarse sack, ultimately of Dravidian origin. The unrelated US Marine Corps slang sense clips gunnery sergeant.

Topics

markdown

Send feedback

Optional — only if you'd like a reply.