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hemp

[ hemp ]
/ hɛmp /
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noun
Also called Indian hemp, marijuana. a tall, coarse plant, Cannabis sativa, that is native to Asia but naturalized or cultivated in many parts of the world and is the source of a valuable fiber as well as drugs such as marijuana and hashish.Compare cannabis.
the tough fiber of this plant, used for making rope, coarse fabric, etc.
any of various plants resembling hemp.
any of various fibers similar to hemp.
a narcotic drug, as marijuana or hashish, prepared from the hemp plant.
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Origin of hemp

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English henep, hƦnep; cognate with Old High German hanaf, German Hanf, Greek kĆ”nnabis; further origin uncertain, perhaps from Scythian (Herodotus describes in book 4 the Scythian hemp-smoking ceremony) or Thracian; compare also Sumerian kunibu ā€œhempā€

OTHER WORDS FROM hemp

hemplike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hemp in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hemp

hemp
/ (hɛmp) /

noun
Also called: cannabis, marijuana an annual strong-smelling Asian plant, Cannabis sativa, having tough fibres, deeply lobed leaves, and small greenish flowers: family CannabidaeceaeSee also Indian hemp
the fibre of this plant, used to make canvas, rope, etc
any of several narcotic drugs obtained from some varieties of this plant, esp from Indian hempSee bhang, cannabis, hashish, marijuana

Derived forms of hemp

hempen or hemplike, adjective

Word Origin for hemp

Old English hƦnep; related to Old Norse hampr, Old High German hanaf, Greek kannabis, Dutch hennep
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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