cane
noun /keɪn/
/keɪn/
- [countable] the hard hollow stem of some plants, for example bamboo or sugar see also candy cane, sugar caneTopics Plants and treesc1
- [uncountable] these stems used as a material for making furniture, etc.
- a cane chair
- [countable] a piece of cane or a thin stick, used as a support for plants
- bean plants supported by long canes
- [countable] a piece of cane or a thin stick, used to help somebody to walk
- He clutched a top hat and a silver-topped cane.
- [countable] a piece of cane or a thin stick, used in the past in some schools for beating children as a punishment
- to get the cane (= be punished with a cane)
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French, via Latin from Greek kanna, kannē, of Semitic origin.