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• cain
  cain

  noun

  rent paid in kind, especially a percentage of a farm crop.
• Cain
  Cain

  noun

  (in the Bible) the first son of Adam and Eve, who murdered his brother Abel.

cain

¹ American  

[keyn] / keɪn /

Scot., kane

noun

Scot. and Irish English.

1. rent paid in kind, especially a percentage of a farm crop.

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Cain ² American  

[keyn] / keɪn /

noun

1. (in the Bible) the first son of Adam and Eve, who murdered his brother Abel.

2. a murderer.

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idioms

1. raise Cain,

   1. become angry or violent.

      He'll raise Cain when he finds out I lost his watch.

   2. to behave in a boisterous manner; cause a disturbance.

      The students raised Cain while the teacher was out.

Cain ³ American  

[keyn] / keɪn /

noun

1. James M., 1892–1977, U.S. novelist.

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Cain ¹ British  

/ keɪn /

noun

1. the first son of Adam and Eve, who killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:1–16)

2. 1. to cause a commotion

   2. to react or protest heatedly

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cain ² British  

/ keɪn /

noun

1. history (in Scotland and Ireland) payment in kind, usually farm produce paid as rent

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Cain More Idioms  

1. see raise Cain.

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Other Word Forms

• Cainism
  noun
• Cainitic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cain

Middle English ( Scots ) cane, from Scots Gaelic; compare Old Irish cáin “statute, law, rent”

Example Sentences

"I were goin' to warn 'em an' holp 'em ef I cain."

From A Man for the Ages A Story of the Builders of Democracy by Adams, John Wolcott

We nearly had him, but he deserted and got across the line, and since then he has been raising all kinds of cain in government affairs.

From The Thunder Bird by Bower, B. M.

If she were here, and I went on raising cain like I been doing, she'd have a fit.

From Babbitt by Lewis, Sinclair

He's up in de ruff, at de top of de house, in dat little charmber, where he stays mostly, to get shet of de music and dancin' and raisin' ob cain generally.

From Cousin Maude by Holmes, Mary Jane

Gwyddyl, a Brython, a Romani, A wna hon dyhedd, a dyfysci; Ac am derfyn Prydein, cain ei threfi.

From Some Specimens of the Poetry of the Ancient Welsh Bards by Evans, Evan