gunny

Etymology 1

From Hindi and Marathi गनी (ganī) or गोन (gon), from Sanskrit [Term?], ultimately of Dravidian origin.

noun

1. (uncountable) A coarse heavy fabric made of jute or hemp.
   Traffic is brisk, and goods consists of rice, gunny (hessian), maize and native implements. 1946 September and October, “Notes and News: Light Railways in India”, in Railway Magazine, page 316
   Provisions were ferried by camel in stout sacks of gunny with blocks of ice packed round them; a herculean task. 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 102
2. (countable) A gunny sack.

Etymology 2

A shortening of gunnery sergeant

noun

1. (countable, informal) A gunnery sergeant.
   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!” 2004, Buzz Williams, Spare parts: a marine reservist's journey from campus to combat in Vietnam
   As a rule of thumb, Marine corporals, when a gunny asks a question, answer it, 2007, W. E. B. Griffin, The Hunters
   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. 2010, Donovan Campbell, Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and ..., page 37