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• cain
  cain

  noun

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

  noun

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

cain

¹ 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 ² 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 ³ American  

[keyn] / keɪn /

noun

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

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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

See Examples For:

cain Cain

It had been there two weeks, and he didn't know what in cain to do with it.

From Tempest and Sunshine by Mary Jane Holmes

The modern woman has learned that it is a club that raises cain.

From Model Speeches for Practise by Grenville Kleiser

Uncle Marion sho cain give yo a helpin good luck hand.

From Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves, Arkansas Narratives, Part 4 by Work Projects Administration

The modern woman has learned it is a club that raises cain.

From Modern Eloquence: Vol III, After-Dinner Speeches P-Z by Various

"I were goin' to warn 'em an' holp 'em ef I cain."

From A Man for the Ages A Story of the Builders of Democracy by John Wolcott Adams

They often used salvage materials from Cain and Baker’s collection.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

In 2022, Joshua Cain and his partner, André Reyes, stepped into the foyer of the home on Monrovia’s South Ivy Avenue and gaped in wonder.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Baker introduced himself and said he appreciated the thoughtful period-appropriate restoration, the work of Cain and Reyes, who are preservationists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

But Cain, an interior decorator for 25 years, wasn’t daunted by the chaos that came with such an extensive project.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

And inside the small chamber, kneeling before a darkness so black that it seemed poised to devour the world, was Cain.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas