'crankiness' originates from modern English, formed by adding the suffix '-ness' to the adjective 'cranky'. 'cranky' itself ultimately relates to older Germanic words such as Dutch/German 'krank' meaning 'sick' or 'ill', and to English dialect forms 'crank' meaning 'sickness' or 'feebleness'.

'crankiness' developed from the adjective 'cranky' (early 18th century). 'cranky' changed from earlier dialect/Old/Middle English forms of 'crank' (meaning 'sick, feeble' or 'twisted') and from continental Germanic 'krank', and later acquired the sense 'irritable, ill-tempered', from which 'crankiness' was formed by adding '-ness'.

Initially associated with being 'sick' or 'feeble' (from Germanic 'krank' and dialect 'crank'), the word shifted in English to mean 'irritable or ill-tempered'; 'crankiness' now denotes the state of being irritable or bad-tempered.