A cockney is a person who was born in the East End of London.
...a Cockney cab driver.
Pomeroy was a cockney barrow-boy at heart.
2. uncountable noun
Cockney is the dialect and accent of the East End of London.
The man spoke with a Cockney accent.
cockney in British English
(ˈkɒknɪ)
noun
1. (often capital)
a native of London, esp of the working class born in the East End, speaking a characteristic dialect of English. Traditionally defined as someone born within the sound of the bells of St Mary-le-Bow church
2.
the urban dialect of London or its East End
3. Australian
a young snapper fish
adjective
4.
characteristic of cockneys or their dialect of English
Derived forms
cockneyish (ˈcockneyish)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from cokeney, literally: cock's egg, later applied contemptuously to townsmen, from cokene, genitive plural of cokcock1 + eyegg1
cockney in American English
(ˈkɑkni)
[oftenC-]
nounWord forms: pluralˈcockneys
1.
a person born in the East End of London, England, traditionally one born within the sound of “Bow Bells” (i.e., the bells of St. Mary-le-Bow) and speaking a characteristic dialect
2.
this dialect, characterized by extreme diphthongization, loss of the initial (h) sound, and use of an intrusive (r)
3. Loosely
any person born or living in London
a humorous or disparaging usage
adjective
4.
of or like cockneys or their dialect
Derived forms
cockneyish (ˈcockneyish)
adjective
Word origin
ME cokenei, spoiled child, milksop; understood as coken-ey, lit., cock's egg < coken (OE cocena, gen. pl.), of cocks + ey (OE æg), egg; ? infl. by Fr acoquiné, idle, spoiled (< coquin, rascal)