cane

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See also: Cane, CanE, cané, Canè, cāne, and cãne

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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[edit]

Noun[edit]

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.
      • 1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 2, in The Ayrsham Mystery‎[1]:
        The cane was undoubtedly of foreign make, for it had a solid silver ferrule at one end, which was not English hall–marked.
      • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 10, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
        Men that I knew around Wapatomac didn't wear high, shiny plug hats, nor yeller spring overcoats, nor carry canes with ivory heads as big as a catboat's anchor, as you might say.
      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.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess:
      The half-dozen pieces […] were painted white and carved with festoons of flowers, birds and cupids. […]  The bed was the most extravagant piece.  Its graceful cane halftester rose high towards the cornice and was so festooned in carved white wood that the effect was positively insecure, as if the great couch were trimmed with icing sugar.
  5. A local European measure of length; the canna.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Corsican[edit]

Un cane.

Etymology[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

cane m (plural cani, feminine cagna)

  1. (Cismontane dialects) dog (Canis familiaris)

Synonyms[edit]

References[edit]

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

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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[edit]

Noun[edit]

cane f (plural canes)

  1. duck (female duck)

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Italian[edit]

Un cane – A dog

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

From the Latin canis, canem (“dog”).

Noun[edit]

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[edit]
Related terms[edit]

Adjective[edit]

cane (invariable)

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

See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun[edit]

cane f

  1. plural of cana

Adjective[edit]

cane

  1. feminine plural of cano

Anagrams[edit]

Latin[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

cane

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of canō

Noun[edit]

cane

  1. ablative singular of canis

References[edit]

  • 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[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

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[edit]
Descendants[edit]
  • English: cane
  • Scots: cane
References[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

cane

  1. Alternative form of canne

Old French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin canna (“reed, cane”).

Noun[edit]

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

  1. tube

Descendants[edit]

Sardinian[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

cane m or f (plural canes)

  1. (Logudorese, Nuorese) dog
    Synonym: perru

Venetian[edit]

Noun[edit]

cane

  1. plural of cana
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