Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913
Crony
Cro′ny (kr?′n?), n.; pl. Cronies (-nĭz). [Orig., an old woman. See Crone.] 1. A crone. [Obs.] "Marry not an old crony." Burton.
2. An intimate companion; a familiar frend. [Colloq.]
He soon found his former cronies, though all rather the worse for the wear and tear of time. W. Irving.