cane

[ keyn ]

/ keɪn /

See synonyms for: cane / caned / caning on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

a plant having such a stem.

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

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 U.S.

the stem of a raspberry or blackberry.

sugarcane.

a rod used for flogging.

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

verb (used with object), caned, can·ing.

to flog with a cane.

to furnish or make with cane: to cane chairs.

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Origin of cane

First recorded in1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin canna, from Greek kánna, from Semitic; compare Akkadian qanū, Hebrew qāneh “reed”

OTHER WORDS FROM cane

canelike, adjectivecany, adjectivere·cane, verb (used with object), re·caned, re·can·ing.un·caned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for cane

If you’ve eaten a candy cane in the US, the red stripe is likely to have come from a tray like the one to the right.
In pictures: the factory where candy gets its colors|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Candy canes are fine and all, but we all know that peppermint is best when paired with chocolate.
These no-bake peppermint chocolate bars bring holiday cheer to your cookie plate|Edd Kimber|December 2, 2020|Washington Post
He also earned the equivalent of twice the average man’s annual wages selling kitchen slops with Washington’s permission, and some of this money was spent on a gold-headed cane.
George Washington’s 1795 Thanksgiving celebrated liberty. But the chef behind the feast had none.|Ramin Ganeshram|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Humans brought the toads to Mauritius — an island east of Madagascar, roughly 2,000 kilometers from mainland Africa — in 1922 to devour cane beetles.
Guttural toads shrank by a third after just 100 years on two islands|Jake Buehler|November 19, 2020|Science News

July Perry was captured in a sugar cane field near his house and shot several times.
A Forgotten Election Day Massacre in Florida That Still Haunts Today|Sean Braswell|October 23, 2020|Ozy
Fortunately, no one has been caned over the head as the national debate continues full bore.
America’s Long-Simmering, Semi-Civil Civil War|Lloyd Green|October 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Lieutenant Katte, who had aided him in getting away, having been kicked and caned, was sent to a court-martial192 to be tried.
Nineteenth Century Questions|James Freeman Clarke
And not content with this, he seized his cane and caned her down stairs most unmercifully.
The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 3 of 4|American Anti-Slavery Society
On the right of the entrance a study, which he shared with Herbert: here the boys would be caned—he hoped not often.
The Longest Journey|E. M. Forster
Most of them hated it like thunder, and they used to be caned when they didn't recite it right.
T. Tembarom|Frances Hodgson Burnett
I caned him; he took this ill, and challenged me to fight with pistols.
The Life and Adventures of Baron Trenck|Baron Trenck

British Dictionary definitions for cane (1 of 2)

cane¹

/ (keɪn) /

noun

the long jointed pithy or hollow flexible stem of the bamboo, rattan, or any similar plant
any plant having such a stem

strips of such stems, woven or interlaced to make wickerwork, the seats and backs of chairs, etc
(as modifier)a cane chair

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

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

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

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

See sugar cane

a slender rod or cylinder, as of glass

verb (tr)

to whip or beat with or as if with a cane

to make or repair with cane

informal to defeatwe got well caned in the match

cane it slang to do something with great power, force, or speed or consume something such as alcohol in large quantitiesyou can do it in ten minutes if you really cane it

Derived forms of cane

caner, noun

Word Origin for cane

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

British Dictionary definitions for cane (2 of 2)

cane²

/ (keɪn) /

noun

dialect a female weasel

Word Origin for cane

C18: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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cane

noun

verb (used with object), caned, can·ing.

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Origin of cane

OTHER WORDS FROM cane

Example sentences from the Web for cane

British Dictionary definitions for cane (1 of 2)

noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of cane

Word Origin for cane

British Dictionary definitions for cane (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for cane

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cane

noun

verb (used with object), caned, can·ing.

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Origin of cane

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Example sentences from the Web for cane

British Dictionary definitions for cane (1 of 2)

noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of cane

Word Origin for cane

British Dictionary definitions for cane (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for cane