bane

American  

[beyn] / beɪn /

noun

1. a person or thing that ruins or spoils.

   Gambling was the bane of his existence.

2. a deadly poison (often used in combination, as in the names of poisonous plants).

   wolfsbane;

   henbane.

3. death; destruction; ruin.

4. Obsolete. that which causes death or destroys life.

   entrapped and drowned beneath the watery bane.

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bane ¹ British  

/ beɪn /

noun

1. a person or thing that causes misery or distress (esp in the phrase bane of one's life )

2. something that causes death or destruction

3. 1. a fatal poison

   2. ( in combination )

      ratsbane

4. archaic ruin or distress

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bane ² British  

/ beɪn, ben /

noun

1. a Scot word for bone

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Etymology

Origin of bane

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English bana “slayer”; cognate with Old Norse bani “death, murderer,” Old Frisian bona “murder,” Old Saxon bano “murderer,” Old High German bano “slayer,” bana “death”; akin to Armenian ǰnǰel “to destroy,” Greek theínein “to strike,” Latin -fendere “to strike,” Persian zahr “poison,” Polish gonić “to pursue,” Sanskrit hánti “to strike”

Example Sentences

The latest worries were triggered last Friday on news from Anthropic, the artificial-intelligence start-up that has been the bane of software companies this year.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

But we also saved species that were headed for oblivion, including the wild turkey, the wood duck, the bald eagle and—that bane of airports and golf courses everywhere—the Canada goose.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Besides, high cholesterol is the bane of men in my family, not cancer — so why worry?

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

Falling prices are a boon for buyers but a bane for homeowners.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 3, 2025

“They’re the bane of my existence,” I say, referring to the freckles.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon