English

Noun

gunny ‎(usually uncountable, plural gunnies)

1. (uncountable) A coarse heavy fabric made of jute or hemp.
   • 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber 1992, p. 102:

     Provisions were ferried by camel in stout sacks of gunny with blocks of ice packed round them; a herculean task.

2. (countable) A gunny sack.

Derived terms

• gunnybag
• gunnycloth

Translations

Etymology 2

A shortening of gunnery sergeant

Noun

gunny ‎(plural gunnies)

1. (countable, informal) A gunnery sergeant.
   • 2004, Buzz Williams, Spare parts: a marine reservist's journey from campus to combat in Vietnam:

     The gunny's voice reverberated between the barracks as we marched, “Ya left right . . . left right . . . left right left. ... Then the gunny unexpectedly stopped our forward movement. “Company, halt!”

   • 2007, W. E. B. Griffin, The Hunters:

     “As a rule of thumb, Marine corporals, when a gunny asks a question, answer it,”

   • 2010, Donovan Campbell, Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and ..., page 37:

     Alongside even' officer chain of command is an enlisted one, and the company gunnery sergeant ("gunny" for short) is the enlisted counterpart ... Without a gunny, the day-to-day operations of the infantry would likely grind to a halt.