Cain

¹ American  

[keyn] / keɪn /

noun

1. (in the Bible) the first son of Adam and Eve, who murdered his brother Abel.

2. a murderer.

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idioms

1. raise Cain,

   1. become angry or violent.

      He'll raise Cain when he finds out I lost his watch.

   2. to behave in a boisterous manner; cause a disturbance.

      The students raised Cain while the teacher was out.

Cain ² American  

[keyn] / keɪn /

noun

1. James M., 1892–1977, U.S. novelist.

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cain ³ American  

[keyn] / keɪn /

Scot., kane

noun

Scot. and Irish English.

1. rent paid in kind, especially a percentage of a farm crop.

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Cain ¹ British  

/ keɪn /

noun

1. the first son of Adam and Eve, who killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:1–16)

2. 1. to cause a commotion

   2. to react or protest heatedly

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cain ² British  

/ keɪn /

noun

1. history (in Scotland and Ireland) payment in kind, usually farm produce paid as rent

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Cain More Idioms  

1. see raise Cain.

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Other Word Forms

• Cainism noun
• Cainitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of cain

Middle English ( Scots ) cane, from Scots Gaelic; compare Old Irish cáin “statute, law, rent”

Example Sentences

It was the first of multiple foundation pours that will take place over the next 12 months, developer Cain said.

From Los Angeles Times

“Out in the Garden,” from September, hits some of the Southern gothic moods of Ethel Cain, but with a sense of acidic pity that’s all her own.

From Los Angeles Times

Member Jeff Cain grabbed the opportunity to reimagine the surrounding slopes.

From Los Angeles Times

Johnson was confronted with his own leaked messages at the inquiry on Tuesday, in which he had told advisers Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain at the time that the DfE needed "better ministers".

From BBC

Fox News host Will Cain called him a “threat to Western civilization” immediately after the interview aired.

From Salon