Cornish

1 of 2

adjective

Cor·​nish ˈkȯr-nish How to pronounce Cornish (audio)
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Cornwall, Cornishmen, or Cornish

Cornish

2 of 2

noun

1
: the Celtic language of Cornwall
2
: any of an English breed of domestic chickens much used in crossbreeding for meat production compare rock cornish hen

Examples of Cornish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Over in Grass Valley, Cornish Christmas (November 27; December 4, 11, and 18) calls on Main Street to close to traffic as Victorian lamplight takes over. — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Oct. 2026 Related Stories Penn plays Kapoor, a closeted physician who takes over a retiring colleague’s practice, in the process inheriting Anna Nicole Smith (Abbie Cornish) as a patient. — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026 Cornish had consecutive runs of 12 and 10 yards on what turned out to be a victory-clinching TD drive. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026 Her cousin Rebekah Roberts competed for Maine, but her hometown was Cornish, New Hampshire. — Matt Viser, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for Cornish

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English Cornysshe, from Cornwaile Cornwall, England

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Cornish was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing Cornish

Rhymes for Cornish

See All Rhymes for Cornish

Browse Nearby Words

corniness
Cornish
Cornish chough
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cornish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Cornish. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

Cornish

noun
Cor·​nish
ˈkȯr-nish
: any of an English breed of sturdy compact chickens
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All