CUNNING


Meaning of CUNNING in English

■ adjective

1》 skilled in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion.

2》 clever; ingenious.

3》 N. Amer. attractive; charming.

■ noun

1》 craftiness.

2》 ingenuity.

Derivatives

~ly adverb

~ness noun

Origin

ME (in the sense '(possessing) erudition or skill'): perh. from ON kunnandi 'knowledge', from kunna 'know' (rel. to can 1 ), or perh. from ME cunne , an obs. var. of can 1 .

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.