cane

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "cane"

English

Etymology

From Middle English cane, canne, from Old French cane (“sugar cane”), from Latin canna (“reed”), from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna), from Akkadian 𒄀 (qanû, “reed”), from Sumerian 𒄀𒈾 (gi.na). Doublet of cane and kaneh. Related to channel and canal.

Pronunciation

Noun

cane (countable and uncountable, plural canes)

  1. A plant with simple stems, like bamboo or sugar cane, or the stem thereof
    1. (uncountable) The slender, flexible main stem of a plant such as bamboo, including many species in the grass family Gramineae
      Synonyms: stem, stalk, (of a tree) trunk
    2. (uncountable) The plant itself, including many species in the grass family Gramineae; a reed
      Synonym: reed
    3. (uncountable) Sugar cane
      • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 7, in The Dust of Conflict:
        Still, a dozen men with rifles, and cartridges to match, stayed behind when they filed through a white aldea lying silent amid the cane, and the Sin Verguenza swung into slightly quicker stride.
      Synonym: molasses cane
    4. (US, Southern) Maize or, rarely, sorghum, when such plants are processed to make molasses (treacle) or sugar
  2. The stem of such a plant adapted for use as a tool
    1. (countable) A short rod or stick, traditionally of wood or bamboo, used for corporal punishment.
      Synonyms: rod, switch
      • 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1965, →OCLC, page 123:
        He stalked behind her simple narrative, a kill-joy parent, hasty, intolerant, keeping a special cane to enforce the authority of his sadistic God[.]
    2. (with "the") Corporal punishment by beating with a cane.
      The teacher gave his student the cane for throwing paper.
      Synonyms: a caning, six of the best, whipping, cuts
    3. A lance or dart made of cane
  3. A rod-shaped tool or device, resembling the stem of the plant.
    1. (countable) A strong short staff used for support or decoration during walking; a walking stick
      After breaking his leg, he needed a cane to walk.
      Synonyms: staff, walking stick
    2. (countable, glassblowing) A length of colored and/or patterned glass rod, used in the specific glassblowing technique called caneworking
    3. (countable) A long rod often collapsible and commonly white (for visibility to other persons), used by vision impaired persons for guidance in determining their course and for probing for obstacles in their path
      Synonyms: blind man's cane, white cane
  4. (uncountable) Split rattan, as used in wickerwork and basketry.
  5. A local European measure of length; the canna.

Derived terms

Translations

sugar cane — see sugar cane
walking stick — see walking stick
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

cane (third-person singular simple present canes, present participle caning, simple past and past participle caned)

  1. To strike or beat with a cane or similar implement.
  2. (transitive) To make or furnish with cane or rattan.
    to cane chairs
  3. (UK, New Zealand, slang) To destroy; to comprehensively defeat.
    Mudchester Rovers were caned 10-0.
  4. (UK, New Zealand, slang) To do something well, in a competent fashion.
  5. (UK, slang) To go very fast.
    Synonym: cane it
  6. (UK, slang, intransitive) To produce extreme pain.
    Don't hit me with that. It really canes!
    Mate, my legs cane!

Translations

Anagrams

Corsican

Un cane.

Etymology

From Latin canis, canem (“dog”). Cognates with Italian cane, French chien.

Pronunciation

Noun

cane m (plural cani, feminine cagna)

  1. (Cismontane dialects) dog (Canis familiaris)

Synonyms

References

  • “cane, cani” in INFCOR: Banca di dati di a lingua corsa

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French cane (“duck, female duck”, literally “loater, little boat”), from Old French cane (“boat, ship; waterbird”), from Middle Low German kane (“boat”), from Proto-Germanic *kaną (“boat, vessel”). See Proto-Germanic *kanô (“boat, vessel”). Cognate with Norwegian kane (“swan-shaped vessel”), Dutch kaan (“boat”), German Kahn (“boat”), Old Norse kæna (“little boat”), and possibly Old Norse knǫrr (“ship”) (whence also Late Latin canardus (“ship”), from Germanic; and Old English cnearr (“merchant ship”)). Related to French canot (“little boat”).

Pronunciation

Noun

cane f (plural canes)

  1. duck (female duck)

Related terms

Further reading

Anagrams

Italian

Un cane – A dog

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

From the Latin canis, canem (“dog”).

Noun

cane m (plural cani, feminine cagna, diminutive canìno m or canìna f or cagnétto m or cagnétta f or cagnettìno m or cagnettìna f, augmentative cagnóne, pejorative cagnàccio, endearing cagnolìno)

  1. dog, male dog
    Hypernym: canide
  2. (firearms) hammer
Derived terms
Related terms

Adjective

cane (invariable)

  1. freezing, biting (of cold)
    Oggi fa un freddo cane! ― Today is freezing cold!
  2. terrible, dreadful, awful (of pain)

See also

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

cane f

  1. plural of cana

Adjective

cane

  1. feminine plural of cano

Anagrams

Latin

Pronunciation

Verb

cane

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of canō

Noun

cane

  1. ablative singular of canis

References

  • cane in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • “cane”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French cane, from Latin canna, from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna), from Akkadian 𒄀 (qanû, “reed”), from Sumerian 𒄀𒈾 (gi.na).

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

cane (plural canes)

  1. bamboo, sugar cane, flax, or a similar simple-stemmed plant
  2. the stem or stalk of such a plant, often used to write with
  3. (rare) a metal implement used for surgery
  4. (rare) a bodily passage or tube, such as the trachea
Derived terms
Descendants
  • English: cane
  • Scots: cane
References

Etymology 2

Noun

cane

  1. Alternative form of canne

Old French

Etymology

From Latin canna (“reed, cane”).

Noun

cane oblique singular, f (oblique plural canes, nominative singular cane, nominative plural canes)

  1. tube

Descendants

Sardinian

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin canis, canem (“dog”). Cognate with Italian cane.

Pronunciation

Noun

cane m or f (plural canes)

  1. (Logudorese, Nuorese) dog
    Synonym: perru

Venetian

Noun

cane

  1. plural of cana
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