bane
[ beyn ]
/ beɪn /
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noun
a person or thing that ruins or spoils: Gambling was the bane of his existence.
a deadly poison (often used in combination, as in the names of poisonous plants): wolfsbane; henbane.
death; destruction; ruin.
Obsolete. that which causes death or destroys life: entrapped and drowned beneath the watery bane.
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Origin of bane
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 Old English benn,Gothic banja wound
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use bane in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for bane (1 of 2)
bane1
/ (beɪn) /
noun
a person or thing that causes misery or distress (esp in the phrase bane of one's life)
something that causes death or destruction
- a fatal poison
- (in combination)ratsbane
archaic ruin or distress
Word Origin for bane
Old English bana; related to Old Norse bani death, Old High German bano destruction, death
British Dictionary definitions for bane (2 of 2)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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