cane

[ keyn ]

/ keɪn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cane 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.

Nearby words

candy-striper, candyass, candyfloss, candygram, candytuft, cane, cane chair, cane gall, cane grass, cane piece, cane rat

Origin of cane

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French < Latin canna < Greek kánna < Semitic; compare Akkadian qanū, Hebrew qāneh reed

Related formscane·like, adjectivecan·y, 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. 2019

Examples from the Web for caned

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 caned (1 of 2)

cane

/ (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 Formscaner, 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 caned (2 of 2)

cane

/ (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

Word Origin and History for caned (1 of 2)

cane

"to beat with a walking stick," 1660s, from cane (n.). Related: Caned; caning.

Word Origin and History for caned (1 of 2)

cane

late 14c., from Old French cane "reed, cane, spear" (13c., Modern French canne), from Latin canna "reed, cane," from Greek kanna, perhaps from Assyrian qanu "tube, reed" (cf. Hebrew qaneh, Arabic qanah "reed"), from Sumerian gin "reed." But Tucker finds this borrowing "needless" and proposes a native Indo-European formation from a root meaning "to bind, bend." Sense of "walking stick" in English is 1580s.

cane

noun

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

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Origin of cane

Examples from the Web for caned

British Dictionary definitions for caned (1 of 2)

cane

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for cane

British Dictionary definitions for caned (2 of 2)

cane

noun

Word Origin for cane

Word Origin and History for caned (1 of 2)

cane

Word Origin and History for caned (1 of 2)

cane