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cane

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Appendix:Variations of "cane"

English

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Etymology

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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 canna and kaneh. Related to channel and canal.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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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.
      Synonym: molasses cane
      • 1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 7, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:
        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.
    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, →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.
      Synonyms: a caning, six of the best, whipping, cuts
      The teacher gave his student the cane for throwing paper.
    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.
      Synonyms: staff, walking stick
      After breaking his leg, he needed a cane to walk.
      • 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Ayrsham Mystery”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
        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[rosby] Lincoln, chapter X, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
        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.
      • 2024 September 8, Kamala Thiagarajan, “Women who are blind play a critical role in identifying possible breast cancers”, in NPR‎[1]:
        She was given mobility training as well — she uses a white cane to make her way independently to the hospital and asks for help to navigate traffic-ridden roads if she needs it. The effort is worth it.
    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

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Translations

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

Verb

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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
    • 2018 March 14, Bryan MacKay, Paddle Maryland: A Guide to Rivers, Creeks, and Water Trails, JHU Press, →ISBN, page 38:
      In colonial days, threesquare was used to cane chair seats.
  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, Australia, slang, intransitive) To produce extreme pain.
    Don’t hit me with that. It really canes!
    Mate, my legs cane!

Translations

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Anagrams

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Corsican

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Un cane.

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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cane m (plural cani, feminine cagna)

  1. (Cismontane dialects) dog (Canis familiaris)

Synonyms

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References

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

French

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Etymology

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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

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Noun

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cane f (plural canes)

  1. duck (female duck)
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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Italian

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Un cane – A dog

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

From the Latin canis, canem (“dog”). Cognate with Sicilian cani.

Noun

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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
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Adjective

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cane (invariable)

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

See also

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Etymology 2

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

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cane f

  1. plural of cana

Adjective

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cane

  1. feminine plural of cano

Anagrams

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Latin

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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cane

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of canō

Noun

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cane

  1. ablative singular of canis

References

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  • "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

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Etymology 1

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

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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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
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Descendants
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  • English: cane
  • Scots: cane
References
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Etymology 2

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Noun

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cane

  1. alternative form of canne

Old French

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Etymology

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From Latin canna (“reed, cane”).

Noun

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

  1. tube

Descendants

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Sardinian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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cane m or f (plural canes)

  1. (Logudorese, Nuorese) dog
    Synonym: perru

Venetan

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Noun

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cane

  1. plural of cana
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