cane

[ keyn ]

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 def.
8. a rod used for flogging.
9. a slender cylinder or rod, as of sealing wax or glass.

verb (used with object)

, caned, can·ing.

1. to flog with a cane.
2. to furnish or make with cane:

   to cane chairs.

cane

¹

/ 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
   See sugar cane
8. a slender rod or cylinder, as of glass

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. cane it slang.
   cane it 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

/ keɪn /

noun

1. dialect.
   a female weasel

Derived Forms

• ˈcaner, noun

Other Words From

• canelike adjective
• cany adjective
• re·cane verb (used with object) recaned recaning
• un·caned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cane¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cane¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin canna, from Greek kanna, of Semitic origin; related to Arabic qanāh reed

Origin of cane²

C18: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

In Los Angeles, a man at a bus stop was beaten with his own cane, and a Thai grandfather died after being pushed to the ground in San Francisco.

From Washington Post

“Conventional cane sugar is heavily water intensive,” said Supplant co-founder Tom Simmons in an interview.

From TechCrunch

Nowadays, Mount Kilimanjaro is almost completely surrounded by developed areas that include wheat farms, commercial sugar cane plantations and rice paddies.

From Quartz

The preppy woven furniture that we associate with the Palm Beach style from the ’60s is also back — in the form of pieces made from natural materials such as cane, jute, wicker and rattan.

From Washington Post

The sisters ran through the old family properties and the sugar cane fields.

From Washington Post

But the police nevertheless declared Stone to be “armed and dangerous,” despite getting around with a cane.

From The Daily Beast

Hitch picks up his cane, pushes her aside, and laboriously tries to get to his feet, saying, “I'll do it myself.”

From The Daily Beast

He's grinning now and actually stretching his legs--his cane has fallen away as he speaks of the !

From The Daily Beast

His friend has dropped hat and cane in shock but the drawing shows stuff that an Americana collector nowadays would kill for.

From The Daily Beast

The train line that once trundled cane down the coast is now a scenic railway.

From The Daily Beast

In some parts of Korea the houses were built of stout timbers, the chinks covered with woven cane and plastered with mud.

From Project Gutenberg

Aunty Rosa had hidden a light cane behind her, and Punch was beaten then and there over the shoulders.

From Project Gutenberg

His chief duty on the sugar plantation is to keep the monkeys out of the cane.

From Project Gutenberg

Besides, there is always a bunch of bananas hanging inside the house, and he has sugar-cane in abundance.

From Project Gutenberg

Receiving small encouragement in England, he applied to sugar-cane planters to give his engines a trial in the West Indies.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• pole
• rod
• walking stick