cane

American  

[keyn] / keɪn /

noun

1. a stick or short staff used to assist one in walking; walking stick.

2. a long, hollow or pithy, jointed woody stem, as that of bamboo, rattan, sugarcane, and certain palms.

3. a plant having such a stem.

4. split rattan woven or interlaced for chair seats, wickerwork, etc.

5. any of several tall bamboolike grasses, especially of the genus Arundinaria, as A. gigantea cane reed, large cane, giant cane, or southern cane and A. tecta small cane, or switch cane, of the southern United States.

6. the stem of a raspberry or blackberry.

7. sugarcane.

8. a rod used for flogging.

9. a slender cylinder or rod, as of sealing wax or glass.

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verb (used with object)

caned, caning

1. to flog with a cane.

2. to furnish or make with cane.

   to cane chairs.

cane ¹ British  

/ keɪn /

noun

1. 1. the long jointed pithy or hollow flexible stem of the bamboo, rattan, or any similar plant

   2. any plant having such a stem

2. 1. strips of such stems, woven or interlaced to make wickerwork, the seats and backs of chairs, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cane chair

3. the woody stem of a reed, young grapevine, blackberry, raspberry, or loganberry

4. any of several grasses with long stiff stems, esp Arundinaria gigantea of the southeastern US

5. a flexible rod with which to administer a beating as a punishment, as to schoolboys

6. a slender rod, usually wooden and often ornamental, used for support when walking; walking stick

7. See sugar cane

8. a slender rod or cylinder, as of glass

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verb

1. to whip or beat with or as if with a cane

2. to make or repair with cane

3. informal to defeat

   we got well caned in the match

4. slang to do something with great power, force, or speed or consume something such as alcohol in large quantities

   you can do it in ten minutes if you really cane it

cane ² British  

/ keɪn /

noun

1. dialect a female weasel

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Other Word Forms

• canelike adjective
• caner noun
• cany adjective
• recane verb (used with object)
• uncaned adjective

Etymology

Origin of cane

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin canna, from Greek kánna, from Semitic; compare Akkadian qanū, Hebrew qāneh “reed”

Example Sentences

In one case, the system told a patient who asked for a walker or cane that it couldn’t help.

From The Wall Street Journal

These tests measured how quickly a person could walk a short distance, either independently or with assistance such as a cane.

From Science Daily

Khan arrived on the red carpet in an outfit created by Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee - decked out with his own dandy cane, plenty of bling and sunglasses.

From BBC

In the U.S., at one time the world’s leader in the making of maple syrup, production plummeted in the 20th century as the country’s population became more urban, and cane and beet sugar less expensive.

From The Wall Street Journal

When I got the assignment, I was immediately excited and had this image in my head of placing them inside a colorful candy cane circus.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• pole
• rod
• walking stick